Question 1

Why tie blue ribbons in a public display?

Accepted Answer

Tying blue ribbons on trees raises public awareness about the hostages who were kidnapped in a mass abduction on October 7, 2023 from southern Israel.

Making a public display using ribbons shows 24x7x365 support for:
urgent action by government officials.
prominent media coverage everyday. 
affected family, friends, colleagues, and communities.

Let's make our streets and towns blue until all the hostages come home.

Question 2

Can I tie blue ribbons on other things, not just trees?

Accepted Answer

Yes, blue ribbons are effective when tied to street-visible things, such as trees, lamp posts, porch posts, woven in fencing, and on car mirrors.

In addition:
Congresspeople are tying blue ribbons in big bows on their office doors.
Schools and houses of worship are tying them inside and outside their buildings.
Town boards are approving them for public property.

We recommend only tying ribbons on your own property, unless you have received permission from others.

Ask your friends, neighbors, church, synagogue, mosque, town, or favorite businesses to tie blue ribbons in front of their homes, organizations, and offices.

Question 3

Should I wrap a bow when tying the ribbons?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely.  The more visible that you tie the ribbon, the better.

Question 4

Why are the ribbons blue?

Accepted Answer

The ribbons are blue because this color is most common to the flags of the countries with the most hostages.

Countries of hostages with blue in their flags include:
The United States, Israel, and also Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, France, Nepal, Netherlands, Philippines, Russia, Tanzania, Ukraine, and the UK.

Question 5

How are the "days in captivity" calculated in the home page counter?

Accepted Answer

The "Days in Captivity" counter on the home page uses the formula of end date minus start date to count full days.

This method is a common approach for counting days, as used by:
online date calculators (the top 3 Google search results)
spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets)
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs related to the events of Oct 7

Other methods are also valid:
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum uses specific times (instead of dates).
Other sources uses dates, but add 1 day for the current date.

For more details, see:
 
.

Co-Founder's Final Message

Frequently Asked Questions

Blue Ribbons FAQs

Why tie blue ribbons in a public display?

Can I tie blue ribbons on other things, not just trees?

Should I wrap a bow when tying the ribbons?

Why are the ribbons blue?

How are the "days in captivity" calculated in the home page counter?

Hostage FAQs

How were the hostages were taken?

Have some hostages been rescued?

Has the Red Cross visited the hostages?

Have medicines provided by int'l agreement been given to the hostages?

How are some hostages held in Gaza determined to be dead?

Other FAQs

Where is the UN?

Is this project political?