Tamir

For two years, Herut Nimrodi has lived between dread and belief — the kind of fragile hope that wakes her up at night. Her son, Tamir, was taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023. She still does not know if he is dead or alive.

“I fear the worst,” she said quietly, “but I still hope he’s hanging on.”

Tamir was 18 — an education officer, not a combat soldier. The last image his mother has of him is from a video on social media: barefoot, wearing pyjamas, terrified, shoved into a jeep and driven into Gaza. “He didn’t even …