Founded in 1995, the Parents Circle has 800 member families, 100 of whom joined after the Hamas attacks in 2023. NeoFeed recently covered one of the NGO’s meetings in New York.
The Israeli government is targeting the Solidarity Human Rights Film Festival, scheduled to open Thursday at Tel Aviv’s Cinematheque. The minister alleges the festival is supported by ‘anti-Israeli’ organizations, naming groups including the Israeli-Palestinian Bereaved Families Forum and Breaking the Silence
The Parents Circle – Families Forum (PCFF) brings together bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families who lost loved ones in the conflict. Four delegates from the group visited the UK last week at the invitation of the Board of Deputies.
UK Bereaved Israelis and Palestinians working together for reconciliation appealed to the UK Jewish community this week to help “amplify” their message of dialogue, dignity and shared humanity in the aftermath of 7 October.
Despite the fragile ceasefire, some see hope for lasting peace. Kylie is joined by Layla Alsheikh from the West Bank, and Mor Ynon from Tel Aviv – both are members of the Parents Circle Families Forum, a group of bereaved families working for reconciliation.
Following two years of violence and war, Israelis and Palestinians who lost family members have come together in the UK to transform their pain into a force for reconciliation, dialogue, and lasting peace.
United by unimaginable loss, Palestinians and Israelis are turning pain into purpose. Their grassroots movement of bereaved families is working to build peace where politics has failed
Earlier this month, a delegation from 60 Israeli peace and reconciliation groups travelled to Ramallah in the West Bank to meet representatives of the Palestinian authority and its president Mahmoud Abbas. The so-called It’s Time coalition pledged support for Palestinian statehood and presented an invitation to a People’s Peace Summit
Peace activist Maoz Inon, whose parents, Bilha and Yakov Inon, were murdered in Kibbutz Netiv Ha’Asarah on October 7, 2023, makes a case for optimism as he speaks to roughly 100 people gathered outside the IDF headquarters’ Begin Road gate.
On my most recent trip to Israel and Palestine, in May of 2024, I listened to the heart-wrenching story of the sister of one of the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. I also met with Palestinian Christians from Bethlehem who feared for the lives of family members
Two fathers from opposite sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – Rami Elhanan, an Israeli Jew, and Bassam Aramin, a Palestinian – lost their daughters to violence and, against overwhelming odds, forged a bond of brotherhood.
Seated on the stage were Rami Elhanan and Bassam Aramin, along with acclaimed Irish novelist Colum McCann
Israeli activist Rami Elhanan and Palestinian activist Bassam Aramin have both experienced the devastating loss of their daughters in the Israel/Palestine conflict. Today, they work together to advocate for peace rather than retribution and have spent the week touring Ireland to give this message.
McCann is in Limerick this evening as the host of the Apeirogon: Until We Talk Tour at the Lime Tree Theatre. The event features a conversation between two bereaved fathers whose extraordinary friendship across the Israeli-Palestinian divide inspired McCann’s celebrated novel.
Today in Focus producer Natalie Ktena heads to a peace camp in Cyprus that aims to bring together children from Israel and the West Bank
Yonatan Zeigen calls for breaking the mould of a country at war where time has stood still since the tragedy of 7 October. The time has come to think about the present and the future, beyond Trump’s peace deal, and imagine a “different vision” based on “equality” between the two
Andrew Marr is joined by former Israeli reserve soldier and Parents Circle–Families Forum member Rami Elhanan to discuss the Gaza ceasefire. Mr Elhanan’s daughter was killed by a Palestinian suicide bomber in 1997.
Dozens of Israeli peace activists, both Jews and Arabs, representing organizations including Peace Now, Women Wage Peace, the Parents Circle – Families Forum, and others, met this afternoon with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
After months of protests, political chaos and a brutal military campaign in Gaza, hostages kidnapped by Hamas in 2023 still remain in captivity. Their devastated families tell Alex Croft of their pain – and their unwavering hope that a peace deal can finally bring them home
Vivian Silver kept the courage of her convictions right until her death. The Israeli peace activist was at her home in Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas fighters swept through after crossing the border from nearby Gaza.
Explore a simple, powerful listening tool that helps students engage with empathy—even on the toughest topics.
If I kill the gunman who killed my mother on October 7, I won’t get her back. Instead, I’ll have two corpses on my hands
The Parents Circle, an Israeli-Palestinian organization, wins the “Brescia for Peace” award for turning grief into dialogue. Award ceremony in November.
Following the U.K., Australia, Canada and Portugal’s formal recognition of Palestine as a sovereign and independent state, Democracy Now! speaks with Israeli peace activist Yonatan Zeigen in Tel Aviv.
A petition launched by the activist group Zazim brings together Jewish and Arab citizens. The goal is to reach 10,000 signatures by 22 September, when the session promoted by France and Saudi Arabia is scheduled to take place at the UN General Assembly.
Speakers of all backgrounds call for peace and reconciliation in Israel and Palestine at a meeting at Newcastle City Library, hosted by the UK Friends of Standing Together
Fathers on opposite sides of Israel-Palestine conflict are united in grief but travel here with message of hope
Liat Beinin Atzili, who was held hostage by Hamas, and director Brandon Kramer speak with Christiane Amanpour about documenting her family’s lives while she was in captivity for a new documentary ‘Holding Liat.’
The protest, organized by an umbrella group for Arab citizens of Israel, was scaled back after police capped participation under threat of revoking approval. Demonstrators held images of starving children in Gaza, as a police officer warned: ‘What happens in the village will not happen here in Tel Aviv’
Think of those young men and women whose lives will be changed forever, once they don that khaki uniform. We send them off with ease to a war of destruction, dehumanization and barbaric killing.
Hala Arafat cried out to be rescued from the rubble for hours; the IDF targeted anyone who tried to help. An hour away in Tel Aviv, life goes on as normal as the Air Force carries out another war crime.
While acknowledging the profound devastation and complex geopolitical realities, I contend that the persistent cycle of violence, dehumanization, and blame stems from unaddressed “root causes” of extremism and deeply entrenched binary thinking.
Acclaimed documentary Holding Liat tracks the daunting journey of a hostage family and is also a microcosm of the deeply conflicted politics behind the Israel-Palestine conflict.
A coalition of anti-war groups, including those who lost family members during the October 7 Hamas massacre, called for a hostage release deal and Gaza cease-fire in central Tel Aviv: ‘The people starving in Gaza and the hostages are on the same side’
It’s been five years since John Hume’s death, and more than 25 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement that brought stability and peace to the island of Ireland. It should have been an example for the world to follow in settling conflicts. And indeed, John Hume saw
After a weekend in which at least 100 people across Gaza were killed as they sought food and water – violence that elicited no formal EU response – the monarch’s message stood out.
It was a packed house for the American Friends of the Parent Circle Families Forum invitational breakfast on July 25. The forum presented a curriculum, “Listening from the Heart,” which develops meaningful exchanges designed to foster reconciliation over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hala Arafat cried out to be rescued from the rubble for hours; the IDF targeted anyone who tried to help. An hour away in Tel Aviv, life goes on as normal as the Air Force carries out another war crime
This proved to me that it’s possible – even effective – to cooperate, even when the past is so complex and the present is bleeding, to create a sustainable future for both nations.
The cause of peace is very difficult. In fact, many people call it the “problem” of peace. It is much more difficult than war. It must be built from the ground up.
As the ensuing war in Gaza continues to claim countless lives, some Israelis and Palestinians are trying to break the cycle of violence.
Florence’s mayor, Sara Funaro, made up her mind after seeing a video of a song by Israeli singer Achinoam Nini, also known as Noa.
The Fiorino d’Oro (Golden Florin) of Florence, the Tuscan capital’s highest civic recognition, was awarded Tuesday to Bushra Awad and Robi Damelin, two women, one Palestinian and the other Israeli, united by the most heartbreaking of losses: a son killed by the violence of the conflict.
It would be understandable for anybody watching the news from Israel and Gaza and the West Bank, to perhaps think that Israelis and the Palestinians are deadly enemies who all hate each other. This is of course simply not true.
“There are no victors in this war,” HaLev says near the end of the movie. “We have all already lost.”
Hamas held Liat Beinin Atzili hostage for 54 days and killed her husband. In her grief, she explains why all she wants is peace for Israelis and Palestinians.
Vivian Silver’s sons speak out about the past 611 days | Canadian Jewish News Chen and Yonatan Zeigen recently visited Toronto for a celebration of their mother Vivian Silver’s life and mission.
Yonatan Zeigen, who lost his mother Vivian Silver in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack in southern Israel, says his goal in life is to decrease the overall pain and suffering in the region – not to avenge the murder of his mother.
At midday on April 29, the eve of Memorial Day, a message inviting the masses to take part in an urgent demonstration was disseminated via social media, under the heading: “We won’t allow the supporters of terrorism to meet in Ra’anana.”
Yonatan Zeigen’s mother was an Israeli Canadian peace activist, Vivian Silver. She was murdered at her home on the 7th of October 2023. That incident woke Yonatan from what he calls a political coma.
Dozens of Jewish philanthropists from around the world have written to Israel’s Foreign Minister protesting legislation designed to limit international funding of human rights organisations.
The 20th Israeli-Palestinian Joint Memorial Ceremony for peace and reconciliation took place on Tuesday 28 April and contained deeply moving contributions from a number of bereaved family members from both Israeli and Arab communities, who have suffered grievous losses due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Bassam Aramin, a Palestinian who lives in the West Bank, and Rami Elhanan, a resident of Jerusalem and Israeli citizen, are two men predestined to hate each other. Instead, they were united through the unimaginable — the death of a child.
Peace activist tirelessly promotes dialog between Israelis and Palestinians — and protests the Netanyahu government, which she holds accountable for her soldier son’s death on Oct. 7
Last week, thousands of Israelis and Palestinians — along with viewers around the world — came together to remember, grieve, and call for peace.
For NGOs working with Israelis and Palestinians, the war has not only meant unprecedented need for their aid and expertise, but also harsh blows to their funding and legitimacy. This is what’s really at stake for civil society in the crosshairs of the Trump administration and Netanyahu’s government
Rami Elhanan i Bassam Aramin: “When you know the enemy, you discover that he is exactly like you.” Ara Losing a daughter at the hands of the enemy. This is what brought together Israeli Rami Elhanan (Jerusalem, 1950) and Palestinian Bassam Aramin (Sair, West Bank, 1969).
There are two feelings, some might say traits, that are hard to come by when countries are in a state of war: empathy and sympathy.
After extremists disrupt Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony, Herzog speaks with Reform rabbi to express solidarity and urge national unity.
The local Likud party branch in Ra’anana organized a demonstration against the Remembrance Day event.
My name is Zeinat Awad, from Beit Ummar in the West Bank.
My children were born into a reality burdened by occupation, growing up witnessing daily scenes of oppression—killings, arrests, land confiscation, and the relentless expansion of settlements. My eldest son, Jaafar, was an ambitious young man, who believed that the future of his homeland could be built through education and went to law school so he could work for justice for his people. He also had a black belt in karate, and dreamed of representing Palestine in international tournaments.
One day on his way to university, he passed through a checkpoint—as usual—and his life changed forever. An Israeli soldier stopped his car, slapped him, and humiliated him in front of others. In that moment, Jaafar felt how easily a person’s dignity could be crushed, and that justice—the very thing he was studying—was absent under the occupation.
In deep frustration, a thought took shape in his mind—as he later admitted—to “teach the occupation a harsh lesson.” It was only a thought, nothing more. But before he acted upon it, the Israeli military arrested him and charged him not for an act, but for the thought itself.
Inside prison, Jaafar suffered from multiple illnesses and in early 2015, Jaafar was released in a frail and weak condition. We took him to a doctor who told me “Your son will not live for more than three months”.
We took Jaafar on an exhausting journey through hospitals for treatments—Al Ahli, Al Makassed, Al Mutlaa, and Al Mezan hospitals —where he finally passed away on April 10, 2015.
Today I am a member of the Parents Circle, and firmly believe that pain can be transformed into a force for justice and peace. My suffering continues, as my two younger sons are currently in administrative detention, with no reason given, and the youngest is only 16 years old.
Despite my loss and pain, I believe in life and in my son’s dream of education and justice. I now carry two voices within me: one of a mother who has lost her son, and one of a woman who believes that another future is possible.
On October 30-31, over 150 bereaved Palestinians and Israelis gathered by the Dead Sea for the Parents Circle Conference. After three years of small in-person gatherings and many zoom meetings—from Covid, wartime, and military restrictions—this large gathering of hope and action is nothing short of a miracle.
The gathering consisted of dialogue meetings, political imagination workshops, and community-building activities. For many new members, it was their first time to spend time with the “other side”.
Among the stories we heard were those of new PCFF members Liora, who shared how her son was killed on October 7, 2023 while she was trapped in the safe room of her home, and Hala, who told the story of her family — she lost 57 relatives in Gaza, including her sister and her sister’s children.
The two women stood side by side, united in pain and in their shared determination to build a future based on justice, security, equality, and an end to the occupation.
“I take from this conference the belief that there is a future. We live in a world that says peace is unrealistic, that mutual destruction is the only possible future. They tell me I’m naïve, disconnected from reality, but I believe we must stand firm and continue to make a difference.”
“I always say: from meeting comes understanding, from understanding comes action, and from action comes shared action. Together, we will walk toward a future ruled by peace. Working with the Parents Circle makes me feel that such a future is possible.”
Meeting together, Israelis and Palestinians build trust and solidarity across borders, and a nurturing community that helps catalyze the grief into action. These members won’t give up on peace in the face of injustice; we hope you will join them.
My name is Yuval Or, from Kibbutz Re’im.
On October 7, 2023, my son Dror and his wife Yonat were killed in their home, and three of my grandchildren were taken hostage to Gaza, along with Dror’s body. Our lives were destroyed.
After 50 days, my grandchildren returned home thanks to a hostage exchange deal. I don’t know what I would have done without them. I have been their primary caretaker since then, because they are orphaned.
Dror’s body is still held in Gaza. When we buried his wife we left an empty plot next to her, and we hope he will be returned so they can rest together.
After everything I’ve been through, I still believe in peace. War is not a solution. The peace I’m suggesting is not a romantic notion, it’s practical. To compromise, to manage to live together, to make agreements.
I don’t see how Palestinians will forgive Israel for what we did in Gaza, and I don’t see how Israel will forgive Hamas for what they did on October 7th. I wish something would spring up here, that something new would begin, and that slowly, peace would come from within, but we have so much hatred and pain and bereavement on both sides.
But, I believe that a Palestinian in Khan Younis wants the same thing as me: to raise our kids and to live a quiet life. And we must reconcile this horrible chapter in our history so that future generations – my grandchildren – don’t have to experience this again.
My name is Mohammad Al-Baw, I live in Halhul, a small village near Hebron. I joined the Parents Circle after my brother, Ferras, was killed in 2002 during the Second Intifada.
Two months ago, Israelis from a settlement nearby came to my family’s and my uncle’s family’s vineyards, about 16 acres of land passed down from my father, and pitched a tent. They planted an Israeli flag in the soil my father and grandfather cultivated. Israeli soldiers built a yellow gate blocking any Palestinian from entering. The soldiers guard the settlers. When I tried to walk onto my land, an officer told me, “You’re not allowed to enter.” His reason: “That’s the policy.” And just like that, a new policy was born.
On another day, when I filmed this scene, a soldier smashed my phone and said, “If you don’t leave now, I’ll kill you.” When I told him that if he is standing on my land, that is occupation, he replied, “There is no occupation.” He noticed the photos of my daughters in my wallet and asked if I worried about them. I told him: “Of course I am. You can take your children and go anywhere. I have only this place. We are like a fish. If you take it out of water, it will die.” His answer, “Okay, so die.”
These moments never make it into official records. They are not rare; they are happening across the West Bank. In the past, settlers might throw stones or burn a house. Today, they kill. There is no law here that protects us. The Israeli military protects them; Israeli police do not help us; Palestinian police cannot or do not protect us from settler violence.
Some people ask why I still work with Israelis. My answer is that if you believe in something, you don’t hesitate or give up. Even now, especially now, I meet with my Israeli colleagues. It is not easy.
My work with the Parents Circle has taken me into Israeli high schools and communities to tell my story in Hebrew, to speak about the Palestinian experience, and to insist that there is more to our lives than the black-and-white narratives of good and evil that we are taught.
I am Liat Atzili from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
My partner, Aviv and I built a life and a family in Nir Oz. We were an inseparable part of this little community, which fulfilled our aspirations and needs. Mine as an educator, and Aviv’s as a farmer and an artist.
On October 7th, our kibbutz was attacked, conquered, and destroyed by Hamas. A quarter of the residents were either killed or kidnapped, including me. The time I spent as a hostage in Gaza was of complete despair, unending fear for my friends and family, and long days. I was nervous that I wouldn’t survive.
After 54 days in captivity, I was returned home. The following day, my family and I were told that Aviv was killed on October 7th. Aviv had hundreds of friends, he traveled and created, and made the most of every opportunity; he truly loved life.In his final year, Aviv fulfilled many dreams, the greatest being to share his art publicly. While managing the kibbutz’s agricultural garage, he painted on tractor parts and scrap metal, blending his love for metals and the Negev fields into his creations. Our children looked up to him and I feel like I had the greatest privilege to share my life with him.
I always believed that war is not our destiny, and that any conflict, including ours, can be solved. This war has proven to me beyond a doubt that we cannot continue fighting, that we have no right to impose the continued suffering of war on future generations on either side. I am ready today, more than ever, to do everything in my power so that our children can live here in peace and security.
My name is Hala Al-Bukhari, and I live in Jerusalem.
My sister and her large family, including children and grandchildren live in Gaza. Despite the distance, I used to communicate with them daily, checking on their health via video call.
On the morning of October 7, 2023, my son told me to watch TV to see what was happening in southern Israel. From that day, fear has overwhelmed my heart.
Then came the morning of October 18, 2023, bringing the fateful news: My sister’s house was bombed, and she, her husband, her children, and grandchildren were in the house—33 innocent lives lost in this horrific massacre.
Two years later, and I’m not giving up.
With every word I write, I struggle to express the extent of my pain. Our hearts bleed with grief for those we have lost and continue to lose. Our sorrow is profound, and our souls yearn for the peace we all dream of.
Let us all live in peace and build a better future for our children. War brings only destruction and ruin to everyone involved, whether Palestinian or Israeli. It is always the innocent people who suffer the most.
I am Kholoud Houshiya and I live in the village of Al Yamun near Jenin. Originally my family is from Haifa. I wasn’t able to experience childhood due to the occupation, which forcibly displaced my family to Jenin under oppression and humiliation.
Later, I married and I gave birth to my first child, whom I named Mohammed. I raised him with all my love and effort.
Mohammed was a young man who loved life dearly, and he loved me even more. He was both my son and my friend, thanks to our close bond.
Mohamad was 23 years old. He worked in Israel and helped his father.
On January 2, 2024 Mohamed took a picture of the Israeli army tearing down my neighbor’s house. The army thought otherwise and they shot him. Just because he was Palestinian.
I always dreamed of seeing my son as a groom, just like any mother. But now, I am left with him buried in my garden. I had hoped to see him, his wife, and his children in my house, but now, every day, I look at his grave from the window in my room.
My message to the world is this: Enough. Enough killing, enough injustice, enough destruction, enough oppression. Enough violence on both sides.
It is not easy for a mother to recount the story of her son’s death—the pain is indescribable. I cannot bear the loss of another child. This is why we must raise the voice of the mothers for a better future for all children and young generations – Palestinians and Israelis.
I am Hala Al-Bukhari, living in Jerusalem.
My daughter, my sister and her large family, children and grandchildren live in Gaza. Despite the distance, before the war, I used to communicate with them daily, checking on their health via video call.
On the morning of October 7th, my son told me to watch TV to see what was happening in southern Israel. From that day, fear has overwhelmed my heart.
Then came the morning of October 18th, bringing the harsh news: My sister’s house was bombed, and she, her husband, her children, and grandchildren were in the house—33 innocent lives lost in this horrific massacre. Since then, my fear for my daughter has grown. I have pleaded with human rights organizations, seeking any means to get her out of the hell of war and the horror of the massacres. Eventually we succeeded to get my daughter out of Gaza.
With every word I write, I struggle to express the extent of my pain. Our hearts bleed with grief for those we have lost and continue to lose. Our sorrow is profound, and our souls yearn for the peace we all dream of.
Let us all live in peace and build a better future for our children. War brings only destruction and ruin to everyone involved, whether Palestinian or Israeli. It is always the innocent people who suffer the most.
I am Liat Atzili from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
My partner, Aviv and I built a life and a family in Nir Oz. We were an inseparable part of this little community, which fulfilled our aspirations and needs. Mine as an educator, and Aviv’s as a farmer and an artist.
On October 7th, our kibbutz was attacked, conquered, and destroyed by Hamas. A quarter of the residents were either killed or kidnapped, including me. The time I spent as a hostage in Gaza was of complete despair, unending fear for my friends and family, and long days. I was nervous that I wouldn’t survive.
After 54 days in captivity, I was returned home. The following day, my family and I were told that Aviv was killed on October 7th. Aviv had hundreds of friends, he traveled and created, and made the most of every opportunity; he truly loved life.In his final year, Aviv fulfilled many dreams, the greatest being to share his art publicly. While managing the kibbutz’s agricultural garage, he painted on tractor parts and scrap metal, blending his love for metals and the Negev fields into his creations. Our children looked up to him and I feel like I had the greatest privilege to share my life with him.
I always believed that war is not our destiny, and that any conflict, including ours, can be solved. This war has proven to me beyond a doubt that we cannot continue fighting, that we have no right to impose the continued suffering of war on future generations on either side. I am ready today, more than ever, to do everything in my power so that our children can live here in peace and security.
I am Mazen from Bethlehem. Many of my family members live in Beit Lahiya, Gaza. They lived in a beautiful house and went on about their lives, despite the siege.
It all stopped on October 10, 2024, when, my uncle, his three sons, and his son-in-law were outside near the house. Israeli aircraft targeted them with bombardment and gunfire. My aunt managed to bring their bodies into the house. With trembling hands, she was forced to gather what remained of them, unable for over a week to lay her husband and three sons to rest.
I cannot believe that so many of my family are dead, and that I cannot go there to help them and cry with them.
The depth of pain in Gaza is beyond description and cannot be fathomed by the human mind. How much longer will this hatred on both sides continue? How much longer will we endure this nightmare? All the Palestinian people desire is a dignified life free from occupation—a fundamental right, just like that of any other people in the world.
The suffering will not cease until we collectively seek pathways to peace and understanding. Revenge will not forge a shared future; we must strive to find common ground and solidarity. Let us unite for a brighter future for the generations to come, and let us raise our voices for peace, so that together we may end this cycle of violence and finally live in safety and harmony.
