The Teen Who Cracked the Code: "How to Write Letters to Captives in Gaza"

If you could write a letter to hostages held by Hamas, what would you say? Thanks to a new website developed by a 15-year-old, you can do just that right now.

This initiative comes from Toval Dembo Ben-Yohana, a tenth grader from Raanana. "I don't have any family or personal connection to the captives," he emphasizes early in our conversation, "but thanks to the website I developed, I definitely feel a connection with many of them, and I'm happy to be a messenger to pass along these letters."

Personal Initiative

Toval mentions that it all started thanks to his array of hobbies. "I play various instruments, guide and volunteer with Magen David Adom," he notes, "and I also enjoy website development. I learned it through various courses, but my true expertise came from practice and experience. Last year, I built a site for another initiative—to write comforting words for the families of the captives, simply to support them. One day, while I was working on the site, my dad came in and his first comment was: 'Aren't those who truly need the warm words of our nation the captives themselves? So why not direct the site directly for them?' And from that, the idea was born."

So how is letter writing done?

"As soon as you enter the site, you see a list of the captives' names, including pictures, and anyone can, without registering or providing any identifying details, aside from their name, choose one of the captives and write a personal letter. The letter can be any length, and my hope is that people will take the opportunity to write whatever is in their hearts."

After searching for a suitable name for the site for many days, Toval decided to call it "Letters of Hope." "Because my main goal is to make us all feel that the captives are alive and that we fully believe it, even to the point of writing letters," he explains. "It's clear to me that once the captives are freed, they will be happy to see how many people remembered them and engaged with them firmly believing they are alive and well."

"I also see great importance in bringing the issue to public discourse, because unfortunately, news broadcasts nowadays are filled with so many other topics, and sometimes the subject of the captives gets pushed aside, especially at this stage, where there isn't much information or progress."

Toval mentions that the work on developing the site took ten months, with the constant thought in his mind: "I hope they return, and all my work goes to waste." "I really hoped the site would ultimately never go live," he admits candidly.

Living Letters

During those months, some captives were found not to be among the living. What did you do with those?

"Yes, since it is a long period, various changes happened – I had to remove the names of captives who are no longer alive, because in the end, the letters are intended for them, and there's no point in writing letters to those who can't read them. On the other hand, there were those who returned, and I removed them too, as there's no longer a need for my platform to send them letters. These have been feelings of sadness and joy that changed frequently while working on the site."

You are a young teen, and it takes great courage to come out with such an initiative. Weren't you afraid?

"Yes, I was a little afraid. It's like releasing your first artwork before a very wide audience, and also a form of self-exposure, knowing you are behind it. I also worried it might not be well-received or that people might laugh at the initiative and see it as not serious. Throughout the period I worked on the site, I kept telling myself: 'Maybe nothing will come of this, and that's okay.' Only this mindset gave me the strength to move forward, and in the end, I was amazingly surprised, as the site had far more visitors than I expected."

How many letters have been written so far?

"As of now, we've surpassed 1,500, but when people visit the site, they can see the exact number because it updates constantly."

Can the public read the letters?

"Of course not. These are personal letters that no one can access but the captive themselves, who will eventually receive them. I am the only one who can enter the database and read the letters, but I obviously won’t do that. These are personal letters, and it's important to me that everyone feels fully comfortable writing whatever they want, without strangers' eyes seeing it."

Can the website handle any number of letters, even if there are tens of thousands?

"Yes, it would require adjustments backstage, where we store the letters, but I am fully prepared that many more letters might come, and there is no limitation on space."

Are there more popular captives who received more letters than others?

"I don't know because I haven't really checked, but in the first two days the site was online, I was surprised to find that all captives received letters. Each captive had at least one letter, whether it's families more active in the media or those less active. Even foreign workers received letters, without exception."

Do you think about how you will deliver the letters to them?

"Yes, I think about it a lot, and I haven't quite decided if I’ll deliver them in person or send them. After all, I’m just a kid, and I’m sure that when the captives return, they'll have many other important things to do besides meeting me. For now, my plan is to print the letters in a designed format and store them in a box or envelope. Their reaction isn’t important to me, and I won’t be hurt if they don’t say anything; the main thing is that they receive it. The main thing is for them to come back home already, because we're all waiting for them so much."