Fifty-six hostages remain in Gaza, more than 600 days after terrorists abducted them during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel — and a throng of New Yorkers resolved Sunday that every last one of them must be brought home immediately.
Hundreds gathered in Central Park on June 8 to call for the release of all remaining hostages and to mourn two Americans whose bodies were recovered last week after being held in captivity since the attacks.
It’s been 611 days since Israel’s day of infamy, when Hamas terrorists launched an assault upon the southern area of the country, killing more than 1,200 people and taking more than 250 others hostage. The Oct. 7, 2023, led Israel to launch a war against Hamas in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people and leveled much of the Middle Eastern enclave, yet Hamas continues to resist and keep 56 hostages, dead or alive, in their clutches.
Last week, the bodies of Judy Weinstein and Gadi Haggai were recovered after their families spent months wondering about their fate. Dozens of other families continue to hope and pray their loved ones will eventually be freed.
The UJA-Federation of New York held Sunday’s rally to call attention to their plight. Eric S. Goldstein, the chapter’s CEO, said it was important for the hostages’ families to be reunited with their loved ones — even if it is too late for them to be found alive.
“They want to have the closure, being able to bury their relatives,” Goldstein said. “There’s nothing more fundamental. It’s not political. This is not complicated.”
US Rep. Dan Goldman (D-Brooklyn/Manhattan) expressed the resolve of not only bringing all the hostages home but also fighting the forces of antisemitism at home and abroad. He pointed to the Boulder, CO, attack of a week ago, in which people attending a rally for Israeli hostages were burned in a firebombing.
“We can’t let hate win, we will continue to be here every week until all the hostages are home,” Goldman said. “We saw with the attack in Boulder that people are still trying to silence us.”
The rally was followed by a walk along Central Park West at 90th Street. Organizers say they plan to gather there every Sunday until all hostages are brought home.
