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Several hostages being held captive in Gaza have anxious family members in the Bay Area, who are continuing to call for the safe release of their loved ones.

They are among an estimated 200 hostages being held by Hamas, the terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip,  according to Israeli authorities and media reports. That group includes about 30 children and 10 to 20 seniors, the Israeli military reports.

Many foreign nationals reportedly were taken to Gaza, including 10 Americans who are still unaccounted for, after the release last week of Chicago residents Judith Raanan, 59, and her daughter Natalie, 17, and the release this week of Nurit Yitzhak and Yocheved Lifshitz, two elderly Israeli women from Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Retired Stanford University history professor Joel Beinin’s niece, Liat Beinin Atzili, also a resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz as well as a tour guide at Yad Vashem, has been missing with her husband, Aviv, since Oct. 7. According to the Holocaust remembrance center in Jerusalem, they “are probably held in Gaza by Hamas.” Beinin declined to speak with J.

Riva Gambert, longtime director of the East Bay International Jewish Film Festival, is also related to Liat, who is her cousin. Reached by phone, Gambert declined to comment other than to say in a statement, “We pray that they, and the other hostages, be returned.”

Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, is also among the kidnapped. Born in Berkeley, he moved to Israel with his family at age 7. His parents, Rachel and Jonathan, have given several interviews, including one with the Times of Israel, but a friend of the family said the couple is not doing more interviews at this time as they await to hear the fate of their son.

On Oct. 15, Rachel took part remotely in an Israel solidarity march in Los Angeles to spread awareness about Hersh, who was gravely wounded in the attack.

Sacramento resident Ryan Pessah has a cousin, Yair Yaakov, who was among those taken from the Nir Oz kibbutz at the start of the Oct. 7 attack. In an interview on KQED Radio, a reporter asked Pessah how he was feeling about the situation facing his cousin and the other captives.

“Pretty hopeless,” he responded.

Families of the hostages continue holding out hope, despite the absence of information about their loved ones.

That lack of information and what many feel is inaction by the Israeli government led to the creation of an initiative called the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.  According to reports, it has attracted thousands of volunteers, including former Israeli officials who specialize in diplomacy, public relations and medicine.

Additionally, Jewish Federations of North America and 50 partner organizations have launched Blue Ribbons for Israel, which asks people across the world to show support for the hostages by wearing the ribbon publicly and displaying it on social media.

Both initiatives have posted photographs of people missing and believed held in Gaza.

This week, California families whose family and friends are being held captive are planning to visit the state Capitol to demand the release of their loved ones, although what the state’s elected officials will be able to accomplish is unclear.

“We are praying for the safe return of hostages, for healing and comfort for the thousands who have been wounded or have lost loved ones, and for peace and security,” the California Legislative Jewish Caucus said in a statement issued Oct. 7. “We stand with Israel.”

Among the many Bay Area groups actively calling for the release of the hostages is UnXeptable, which was formed in 2020 by Israeli expatriates in the Bay Area to challenge Israel’s right-wing government and its judicial reform plan.

Since the Oct. 7 attack, the group has pivoted to supporting relief efforts and to advocacy on behalf of the hostages.

“We thought it would make sense to bring the community together and make the focus on bringing the hostages home,” said Offir Gutelzon, a co-founder of UnXeptable, which organized a “Bring Them Home” rally at San Jose City Hall on Oct. 22 co-sponsored by more than a dozen Jewish organizations and attended by hundreds waving Israeli flags. “We want to put the focus on bringing them home now.

“It’s been two weeks,” he added. “The clock is running out.”