Tearful relatives of some Israeli hostages walked through an emotional crowd of hundreds of supporters on their way to the United Nations in Manhattan on Tuesday to plead for the return of their loved ones.
Among those gathered were the parents of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, the Israeli-American whose arm was torn off when Hamas terrorists attacked an Israeli music festival on Oct. 7, looking grim.
Relatives of Edan Alexander, 19, a recent high school graduate from Tenafly, New Jersey, who was serving in the Israeli army when he disappeared following the Hamas surprise attack, were also among the crowd of about 500 people.
“Just bring it home. That’s it,” said a member of the Alexander family, wearing a T-shirt with a photo of him, when asked for comment.
Protesters cheered the distraught families, some carrying signs that read: “Support Israel,” “Please bring the hostages home,” as well as one that read “They blew his arm off and then took him hostage #Bring_Hersh_Home “.
Cars passing by the demonstration honked their horns in support as people shouted, “Bring them home!”
His supporters gathered outside the UN to try to urge officials to do everything possible to free the hostages.
More than 500 people gathered outside the UN in Manhattan on Tuesday to advocate for the release of the hostages in Gaza. William Farrington
Polin-Goldberg’s mother, Rachel Goldberg, later told the crowd that she had not heard from her son since sending him two cryptic text messages on the day militants massacred more than 260 Israeli revelers who were there. Music festival.
After hearing bombs that Saturday morning, he decided to turn on his phone, something he normally never does on a Saturday, to check on his son, he said, recounting an emotional story he had described earlier.
Goldberg said he received two text messages from Polin-Goldberg: “I love you” and “I’m sorry.”
“And I immediately knew something horrible was happening in my world,” Goldberg said, CNN reported.
He later received a video of his son being loaded onto a truck “with a bloody stump where his left arm used to be.
Supporters hold signs Tuesday calling for the release of hostages like Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose arm was blown off before he was taken hostage by Hamas. William Farrington
“And that was 18 days ago. And since then we haven’t heard anything,” Goldberg said.
The parents of Omer Neutra, a Long Island native and IDF commander who is among the Hamas hostages, said they have not heard from their son since October 6.
“We are not satisfied knowing that 17 days have passed and nothing seems to move,” his mother, Orna, said of Israel and the United States’ response to freeing the captives.
“One of the fathers mentioned today at the UN that this is a global crisis, it is not just our personal crisis. There were at least 33 citizens from different countries around the world and where they are located. “Everyone needs to speak up and do their part to try to resolve this,” he said.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s parents traveled from Israel to advocate for the release of the hostages, including their 23-year-old son.William Farrington
The Neutras were scheduled to meet with UN Secretary General António Guterres, but “the decision was made not to meet with him after his harsh comments about Israel’s responsibility in this,” Ronen Neutra, the father of Omer.
Guterres told a UN session on Tuesday: “It is important to also recognize that the Hamas attacks did not occur in a vacuum,” prompting Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to walk out of a meeting with him and demand to resign.
Gaya Gurman, a 24-year-old Israeli medical student, told the Post that she was advocating for “those who were kidnapped, those who were massacred and those who are fighting for us out there, whether in Gaza, in the West Bank or in the West Bank.” . or in Lebanon.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the UN headquarters in Manhattan on Tuesday morning with Israeli flags and signs. William Farrington
“I have two friends who are hostages in Gaza. One of them is a soldier and the other was at a party. They are both 23 years old. We don’t know what’s happening with them. The only thing I can do is speak for them because they have no voice right now,” Gurman said.
“One of them was a civilian. He was at a party trying to have fun with his friends. Twenty-three years old, they took him away. Because? Because he is Jewish? Because he is Israeli,” he said, breaking down into tears.
Michelle Zadok, 18, said she came to the protest to tell the world: “This is wrong,” referring to the hostage taking.
Zadok, who is from Israel and took a gap year in the United States before enlisting in the Israel Defense Forces, held a red carnation as he spoke.
Supporters arrived with red carnations and signs with the faces of the kidnapped people. William Farrington
“They need to be back in their homes. These are people we know. These are our friends. “These are kids from our school who were kidnapped while they were partying and celebrating life,” Zadok said.
“No matter which side you are on, it is important to understand that kidnapping innocent children and elderly people is simply not a solution to anything. Nothing justifies it, even if you support the people of Gaza, and even if you think the land belongs to them, kidnapping is still wrong,” he said.
Moran Aloni said his two sisters, brother, three nieces and brother-in-law were kidnapped on October 7.
“I want to thank you for all the support. We see it. We’re sorry. I want to thank the countries that support us to get our families back,” he said before leading the crowd in a “Bring them back” chant.
Also outside the UN building was Yuval Harari, an 18-year-old from Bergen County, New Jersey, who was taking a gap year in Israel but returned home after the Hamas attack. The teenager said it was important to raise awareness about what people are going through.
Some of those gathered Tuesday participated in prayers for the hostages in Gaza.William Farrington
“Being away from Israel is very difficult with everything that is happening. I have a lot of family who are constantly running to bomb shelters,” Harari said. “I know people in the military who have been kidnapped, so it’s important for me to come here to raise awareness so everyone can see the horrors we’re going through.”
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, one of the organizers of the event, said it has been working around the clock since the Oct. 7 attack.
Cars passing by the demonstration honked their horns in support while people waved signs and Israeli flags. William Farrington
“Today is a critical day, like every day, but today feels even more critical because the families of the hostages and missing people come especially from Israel, and they come with the hope that the world will act more drastically and somehow wake up up,” said Naama Keha, a volunteer with the group.
“We know the nature of Hamas. We know that it is a barbaric terrorist organization, so this is to support the families that come from Israel and also to show the United Nations, the world leaders… all the organizations that need to be more active and show them that it is not will. In silence, we will not sit still,” Keha said.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn