Founder of weekly walks in Denver area, member of Colorado's Palestinian community react to release of hostages

The movement Run for Their Lives began as a small walk in California after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack led by Hamas on Israel. Two years later, its Denver and Boulder chapters have kept that momentum alive, walking every Sunday to ensure hostages taken into Gaza were never forgotten.

Now, after Hamas released the final 20 living Israeli hostages as part of a peace plan between the warring groups, co-leaders of the Colorado chapters say the news brings both joy and grief.

"I don't think anybody slept last night," said Miri Kornfeld, one of the Denver co-leaders and director of Stand With Us Colorado. "This is what we've been advocating for -- two years in the making, two years too long. The fact that we can say there are no longer living hostages in Gaza is such a sigh of relief."

Her co-leader, Omer Shachar, helps lead Run for Their Lives in both Denver and Boulder. He said the organization was born from tragedy but grew into a global movement of solidarity.

"It started right after the Oct. 7 massacre to advocate for the hostages," Shachar explained. "Now there are more than 200 chapters around the world. People meet every week and walk in public spaces to raise awareness."

He said the movement has given a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves.

"They were taken from their homes, many still in pajamas, and held in tunnels under Gaza. They can't speak, so we wanted to raise their voices for them."

Reema Wahdan, a member of Colorado's Palestinian community, feels cautiously optimistic about the first step of the peace plan.

"We are glad that we're seeing the hostages from both sides being released," Wahdan said.

Nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were also released under a truce deal linked to the release of Israeli hostages. She says there's more to be done.

"We are yearning for justice and peace, just as any other mother wants that for their children. You just want safety and security, that's what Palestinians want," Wahdan said.

While their original goal was awareness, Shachar said the weekly walks evolved into something deeper.

"I don't know if we made change globally, but we made a change in the community," he said. "It became a place for anyone who connects to this cause -- Jewish people, not Jewish people, Israelis, whoever. They have a place to talk about it and feel connected."

Kornfeld said the weekly walks became a constant -- an outlet for grief, unity, and hope.

"Right after Oct. 7, we started groups in Denver and Boulder," she said. "After the attack against our Boulder chapter, a new chapter formed in Fort Collins. It's really become a community."

On June 1, a Run for Their Lives event in Boulder was hit in a targeted act of terrorism. Several people were injured, and one woman later died of her injuries.

"There is a lot of joy today, but also a lot of sadness," Shachar said. "Karen (Diamond) died, murdered on June 1. I wish we didn't have to fight this battle. It's a mix of happiness, hope, and grief all at once."

Even with today's release, both leaders say their work isn't finished.

"We should absolutely celebrate," Kornfeld said. "But we also need to keep in mind that there are still 24 hostages who were murdered in captivity. We must continue to advocate for their release and proper burial."

When asked whether they think the hostages knew people around the world were walking for them every week, Shachar said some did, but not the full scope.

"Some of them returned and said they heard something, but they didn't understand the scale," he said.