AFTER 483 DAYS, THEY ARE ALL HOME AT LAST

For more than two years, this online prayer circle has been remembering, yearning and storming heaven for the sake of the 251 hostages, brutally kidnapped and held by Hamas in Gaza.

Not all made it out alive. Our hearts have broken time and again as the news came through of another soul lost, another family bereaved.

And yet, as the surviving hostages themselves have reminded us, even in the darkest of times it is possible to be grateful.

With the last hostage Ran Gvili home, after 843 days in captivity, it is time to close this prayer-petition.

We do so with a deep sense of relief that there are no more hostages in Gaza, that each one made it home to his/her family - hopefilled reunions for some, and at least closure and proper respectful burials for others.

We give thanks, too, for all who participated in this prayer circle. Thank you for your fidelity, for insisting that the hostages and their families not be forgotten.

In closing, we leave you with these memories and images from the website of the Hostages and Missing Family Forum. They remind us of the heartbreak of a nation, but also the extraordinary resilience and commitment of its people.