On the October 7 anniversary of the Hamas attacks, families share how they find comfort and hope for loved ones

In the past year, families of over 250 hostages from Hamas' attack have sought comfort and purpose through rituals amidst their anguish.

Nearly every day, Avital Dekel Chen sends a text message to her husband, Sagui. He was kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7 while she and their two young daughters hid in a safe room at their kibbutz in southern Israel.

“Please come back home. Please hang in there a little longer,” Dekel Chen wrote in one message.

Dekel Chen, 34, finds emotional solace in the daily WhatsApp messages to her husband, though she knows he won’t see the texts unless he is freed.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/october-7-anniversary-hamas-attacks-families-comfort-hope-rcna166762

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