TEL AVIV – Thousands of people gathered in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday to commemorate the 20th birthday of Naama Levy, who has been held captive for 260 days. It was one of the first and most searing viral videos to emerge as the October 7 attack unfolded. A cell phone video released by Hamas shows Levy, who was 19-years-old at the time, being dragged by her hair at gunpoint by a terrorist in Gaza. Her hands are bound, her ankles cut. Her pants are soaked in blood.

Eight months on, and Levy is one of 120 people who remain in captivity in Gaza, 116 of whom were among the more than 250 taken hostage on October 7. A hostage and ceasefire deal in November secured the release of more than 100, while a handful have been rescued. But fears for those who remain are growing, with a senior Hamas official telling CNN recently that “no one has an idea” how many of them are still alive.

Their plight is the subject of regular anti-government protests in Israel, where many demonstrators are calling on Israeli leaders to secure a hostage deal and hold an early election. At Hostages Square on Saturday, Levy’s parents Ayelet Levy Shachar and Yoni Levy addressed the crowd. “Today, I didn’t want to make a speech in the square. I just wanted to wish Naama a happy birthday, to speak to you, Naama, hoping you might hear, wishing these words reach you,” Levy’s mother said during her speech. (CNN)