Hostage's Mother Criticizes Leadership, Recounts Grief and Return to Gaza Border

Esther Buchstab, mother of Yagav Buchstab, who was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Am on October 7 and murdered in Hamas captivity, spoke out in an interview on Kan News Radio. Speaking on the three-year anniversary of the October 7th massacre, Buchstab, who has returned to live in her kibbutz, addressed the security failures that led to her son's kidnapping and the current security situation in the Gaza border region. She criticized the political leadership's handling of the hostages' fate, stating, "I say there was abandonment on October 7th, and there was abandonment afterward, that the hostages did not return, that some of them returned as casualties." Buchstab emphasized that her son left his home alive and was murdered in Hamas captivity in February 2024, expressing profound guilt over their inability to bring him back. She reiterated her demand for a state commission of inquiry into the war's failures, calling it her duty as a parent and citizen to understand what happened. Buchstab noted that 46 hostages were murdered or killed in captivity, though the exact circumstances are unclear. Despite the ongoing, low-intensity fighting in Gaza, the family chose to return to their home in Kibbutz Nir Am in January 2025. She described the difficulty of living near the front lines, stating, "You cannot live in the Gaza border kibbutzim without being part of the war." Buchstab shared how the family is memorializing Yagav through social work with organizations aiding the homeless, refugee youth, and women in prostitution, explaining, "Yagav saw these people, he wasn't afraid of them, he saw them even in places where it's hard to see. This is our memorial, to try and make our society a little better." Recalling her son, she spoke of missing his quiet moments, like walking the dogs, drinking coffee, and playing music, and expressed a lingering hope for his return.