Tearful relatives of several 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, an Israeli whose arm was blown off when Hamas terrorists attacked an Israeli music festival on Oct. 7.
Relatives of Edan Alexander, 19 — a recent high school graduate from Tenafly, NJ, who was serving in the Israeli army when he went missing since the Hamas surprise attack — were also in the crowd of about 500 people.
“Take him home. That’s it,” said a family member of Alexander — wearing a shirt with his picture — when asked for comment.
Ralliers cheered on the suffering families, some carrying signs that read, “Stand with Israel,” “Help the Hostages, Bring Them Home” as well as one that read “His Arms Were Blown Off Then He Was Captured #Bring_Hersh_Home.”
Cars passing the demonstration honked their horns in support while people shouted, “Take them home!”
Supporters gathered in front of the UN to try to urge officials to do everything they could to free the hostages.
More than 500 people gathered outside the United Nations in Manhattan on Tuesday to support the release of hostages in Gaza. William Farrington
Polin-Goldberg’s mother, Rachel Goldberg, later told the public that she had not heard from her son since he sent her two cryptic texts on the day militants killed more than 260 Israeli revelers who were at the same music festival.
After hearing the bomb that Saturday morning, she decided to turn on her phone – something she normally never does on the Sabbath – to check on her son, she said, recounting the emotional story she has described before.
Goldberg said she received two texts from Polin-Goldberg: “I love you” and, “I’m sorry.”
“And I immediately knew something terrible was happening in my world,” Goldberg said, CNN reported.
He later received a video of his son being loaded into a truck “with a bloody stump where his left arm used to be.
Supporters held signs Tuesday in support of 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 know nothing,” said Goldberg.
The parents of Omer Neutra, a Long Islander and IDF commander who was among those held hostage by Hamas, said they had not heard from their son since Oct. 6.
“We are not satisfied, knowing that it has been 17 days and nothing seems to be moving,” said his mother, Orna, of the Israeli and US response to freeing those held captive.
“One of the parents mentioned in the UN today is a world crisis, it’s not just our personal crisis. There are at least 33 citizens from various countries in the world and where are they. Everyone needs to speak up and do their part to solve this problem,” he said.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s parents traveled from Israel to support the release of the hostages, including their 23-year-old son.William Farrington
Neutra was scheduled to meet with UN Secretary-General António Guterres but, “The decision was taken not to meet with him after his harsh statements about Israel’s responsibility in this matter,” Ronen Neutra, Omer’s father, told the Post.
Guterres said at a UN session on Tuesday, “It is important to recognize that attacks by Hamas do not occur in a vacuum” — prompting Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to pull out of a meeting with him and demand his resignation.
Gaya Gurman, a 24-year-old medical student from Israel, told The Post that she supports “those who were kidnapped, those who were slaughtered and those who are fighting for us out there — whether in Gaza, in the West Bank or in Lebanon.
Hundreds 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 is at a party. They are both 23 years old. We don’t know what happened to them. The only thing I can do is speak for them because they don’t have a voice now,” Gurman said.
“One of them is a civilian. He was at a party just trying to have fun with his friends. Twenty-three years, taken away. why? Because he’s Jewish? Because he is Israeli,” he said through tears.
Michelle Zadok, 18, said she came to the demonstration to tell the world, “This is wrong,” referring to the hostage-taking.
Zadok, who is from Israel and spent a year in the US before joining the Israel Defense Forces, held a red carnation as he spoke.
Supporters came carrying red carnations and signs displaying the faces of those who had been kidnapped. William Farrington
“They need to go back to their homes. These are people we know. These are our friends. These are children from our school who were kidnapped while they were partying and celebrating life,” said Zadok.
“No matter what side you take, it is important to understand that kidnapping innocent children and parents is not the solution to anything. Nothing justifies it even if you support the people of Gaza, and even if you think the land belongs to them, but kidnapping is wrong,” he said.
Moran Aloni said his two sisters, brother, three nieces and brother-in-law were all kidnapped on Oct 7.
“I want to thank you for all the support. We saw it. We feel it. I want to thank the countries that supported us in bringing our families back,” he said before leading the crowd in chants of “Bring them back”.
Also outside the UN building was 18-year-old Yuval Harari from Bergen County, NJ, who spent a year in Israel but returned after the Hamas attack. The teenager said it was important to spread awareness about what people were going through.
Some of those who gathered on Tuesday took part in a prayer for those held hostage in Gaza.William Farrington
“Being away from Israel is very difficult with everything that’s going on. I have a lot of family who are always running to bomb shelters,” said Harari. “I know people in the military who have been kidnapped, so it’s important for me to come here to raise awareness so the whole world can see the horrors we’re going through.”
The Hostages & Missing Families Forum, one of the organizers of the event, said it had been working around the clock since the October 7 attack.
Cars driving past the demonstration honked their horns in support while people waved Israeli signs and flags. William Farrington
“Today is a critical day, like every day, but today feels even more critical because the families of the hostages and the missing come mainly from Israel, and they come with the hope that the world will act more drastically and in a way that wakes up. up,” said Naama Keha, a volunteer with the group.
“We know the nature of Hamas. We know it is a barbaric terrorist organization, so this is to support the families that came 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 we will not be quiet, we will not sit quietly,” said Keha.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
