Israeli family urges release of Hamas hostage and celebrates Rosh Hashanah with hope but ‘nothing to celebrate’

Southern Israel – Before the Jewish New Year holiday of Rosh Hashanah, Efrat Machikawa helped prepare dinner at her home in southern Israel. Her family eats Tunisian food for the occasion and her mother prepared an array of delicacies, including honey-glazed spinach.

But Machikawa told CBS News that this year’s holiday – one of the most significant in Judaism – would not be the celebration it usually is because one of her family members is still being held hostage war-torn Gaza.

“We know it is a holiday, but there is no reason to celebrate. Nothing,” she said. “You should have been here.”

CBS News last visited Machikawa at her home in southern Israel nearly a year ago, just days after Hamas launched its attacks on Oct. 7. Six members of her family had just been killed or taken hostage from their homes on Kibbutz Nir Oz – among the 1,200 people massacred and 251 kidnapped that day.

“It’s very hard to describe the past year because it really doesn’t feel like a year… I say it’s a long day,” Machikawa said.

One of their relatives was killed and four were eventually released by Hamas. including her aunt Margalitwho had serious health problems when she was kidnapped.

Finally freed from captivity, Margalit found it difficult to accept what had happened on October 7th.

“It was not easy for her to see what really happened to her home, her community, her friends, the people she loved, the other kibbutzim and the entire country,” Machikawa said.

Since we last met her, she has been working tirelessly to bring home her uncle Gadi Moses, the last family member still held in Gaza.

She was among the families and friends of hostages puts strong pressure on the Israeli government to accept an agreement with Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of the remaining hostages. Machikawa has traveled around the world appealing to foreign leaders to put pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Everyone associated with the negotiating table and the Army – security and the Army – are amazing, amazing people. But when I talk about my government… I don’t think they’ve done what a government is, what my idea of ​​government is. “Would be enough,” Machikawa said. “The feeling that it’s up to us, the families, “Maintaining national and international interest in the release of these 101 hostages is quite difficult to bear.”

Israeli officials believe 64 of the hostages are still alive.

Machikawa said that despite the difficulties, she will continue to work to bring her uncle and the other hostages home.

“There has to be some hope. I’m hopeful,” she said. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to not be hopeful. I don’t have the ability to not be hopeful.”