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Son of elderly hostage held in Gaza hopes for a Hanukkah miracle

Yair Moses' mother was released by Hamas last month, but his 79-year-old father is still being held hostage.
Posted at 3:09 PM, Dec 14, 2023

Exactly a year ago, Gadi Moses celebrated Hanukkah with his family in Israel. Today the 79-year-old is among more than 100 hostages still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.

"No one has seen my father and we know nothing about him," his son, Yair Moses, told Scripps News.

"Is he getting medicines? Is getting proper food? Is he OK or is he wounded?" Moses asked, adding that he hopes for a Hanukkah miracle.

"Lighting the lights hopefully will bring us this miracle and the darkness we are in for the last two months will go away," he said.

Because Hanukkah is almost over, Moses added that he's "also willing to accept a Christmas miracle, any miracles that will come."

A miracle did come recently. Last month. Moses' mother, Margalit, a cancer survivor whom Hamas also kidnapped on Oct. 7, was released.

"It was amazing. It was a pure joy. It was 24 hours that we allowed ourselves to put the worries to the side," Moses recalled.

Recently, Margalit revealed in a video statement in Hebrew that while in captivity she barely slept because Hamas terrorists took away her CPAP machine, which treats her sleep apnea.

"And even though she told them 'I must have it in order to breathe,' they didn't give it back, just took it from her,'" Moses told Scripps News.

Now Margalit is back at home for Hanukkah and Moses recently lit candles with her, which was "very, very joyful."

But even in that joyful moment, Moses says he did not forget for a second about his 79-year-old dad, Gadi, and all of the other hostages.

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