With hostages’ fate uncertain, Israeli families tend spark of hope

Gur Tovbin woke up at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, opened Instagram, and started seeing videos of the Hamas assault. Then his best friend’s mom called. 

At 7 a.m., Nir Forti had messaged his sister, who was concerned by reports of a Hamas attack on the desert rave party he was attending. He was okay, he told her. 

No one has heard anything from him since, his mom says.

Mr. Tovbin had met Mr. Forti in kindergarten. They went through high school and military service together, and lived on the same kibbutz. “This is like the most loved person on Earth,”