Brother of man taken hostage by Hamas says it's his 'life mission' to free him

'My life mission is to bring him back,' Michael Levy told reporters

The brother of a man taken hostage by Hamas during its October 7 incursion into southern Israel says it is now his "life mission" to secure his safe return.

Michael Levy, whose brother Or was abducted when he attended the Supernova music festival - where hundreds were killed - said he was being held in Gaza by "monsters".

He was among a delegation of family members of seven hostages who held a press conference in London, on Thursday, calling on the Israeli government to do more to negotiate their return.

"I have only one thing that I want you to remember: take a look at this face and when someone takes it to politics please remember this face. This is not about politics, it's about human beings," he said.

Thursday marked five months to the day since Hamas launched its deadly attack into southern Israel.

The delegation urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to put politics to one side and prioritise the release of hostages above any military objective.

Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to return every hostage and continue Israel's war against Hamas until the group has been dismantled.

Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people and abducted around 250 others during its attack into Israel on October 7 2023.

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An ensuing Israeli military operation into Gaza has currently killed more than 30,000 people.

Since October 7, more than 100 hostages have been freed by Hamas in return for Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

But families of hostages, in recent months, have expressed their frustrations and staged protests at the length of time it is taking to release those who remain held captive.

Diana Levinson's grandson, Shay, was killed by Hamas fighters when they breached the border fence between Israel and Gaza on October 7.

The 19-year-old's body was taken into Gaza, where it is still thought to be today.

Diana Levinson issued a plea for the safe return of all hostages that are still known to be alive in Gaza

Ms Levinson has pleaded for Israeli politicians to do everything in their power to give the best possible chance of bringing the remaining hostages alive as well as the remains of those who have died while in captivity.

She said: "We didn't start that war. We want our people back."

The press conference also saw the hostages' families urge the world's media to maintain press coverage of their plight.

Inbal Zach, whose cousin Tal Shoham was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7, called on journalists to "keep putting our stories, our loved ones in the top of the agenda of everything".

She added: "Nothing is more important than them."

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