REIM, Israel — As a helicopter flew overhead carrying newly-released hostage Agam Berger from Gaza back to Israel on Wednesday, the father of another Israeli hostage, Bar Kuperstein — who is not on the list for the first phase of releases — was carrying a poster of his son at the site of the Nova music festival in Reim, from which his son was kidnapped.

Standing in the sun-soaked fields of Reim, Bar’s father, Tal Kuperstein, told Jewish Insider that he had prayed for the release of the hostages together with Agam Beger’s mother, Merav, during a trip they both took to Poland as part of a delegation. He said it was “very moving” that Berger was on her way home and “Bar must come home too.” 

Tal lost his ability to speak after he suffered a stroke after numerous surgeries he underwent following a car accident in which he was seriously wounded five years ago while volunteering for United Hatzalah. He subsequently uses a wheelchair and a year ago, following his son’s kidnapping, he began working with a speech therapist, determined to advocate for Bar’s release. Today, though his speech is still impaired, he is able and willing to talk to anyone who will listen about his son.

On Thursday, he traveled with a group of other wheelchair users and individuals with physical disabilities on a tour facilitated by the Yad Sarah NGO to some of the Oct. 7 massacre sites. 

“He doesn’t know that I can talk,” Tal told JI. But based on testimonies from some of the released hostages who spoke about the hope and strength they received from hearing their families advocating for them on the radio and TV while they were in captivity, it’s possible that Bar has heard his father’s progress from Gaza.

Bar, 22, was working at the Nova festival as a security guard when the Hamas massacre began. Instead of trying to escape, Bar stayed and volunteered as a paramedic, treating the wounded, and shuttling them away from the site to moshav Patish before returning to help more people. He went back and forth four times. He took a gun from a police officer who had been killed and fought against terrorists. But eventually Bar was shot and kidnapped. 

The family hasn’t received any sign of life since the day Bar was taken hostage and was filmed, with his hands and feet tied up, shouting his name and telling the terrorists that another wounded hostage needed treatment. “That is Bar,” his father explained. “Always taking care of others before he takes care of himself.”

Kochava Tzurieli, one of the participants in the group, said her “heart aches,” for the Kupersteins and lamented that his story had less exposure in the media than other hostages. She said it was “an honor” to do the tour with Tal and to be able to offer him support and encouragement.

“Our organization has done many trips, but this time is something special,” said Yaron Aviv, the national coordinator of volunteer drivers at Yad Sarah. “On one hand it’s a happy day that we are seeing hostages return to us, and on the other hand, Bar is still in captivity and on this tour we are all praying that we see him and all the hostages return.”

Several passersby at the sites the group visited approached Tal to offer him words of support and multiple groups held spontaneous prayer circles for his family and for the swift return of the remaining hostages. Tal remained stoic and determined as dozens of visitors around him, many in tears, paid their respects at the sites.

On Wednesday, Tal protested in front of the Prime Minister’s Office, demanding that all the hostages be released in the second phase of the cease-fire and hostage-release deal. He told JI his appeal to President Donald Trump is to ensure the release of the rest of the hostages, just as he pushed for the release of the female hostages.