Hundreds of people gathered in Manhattan's Central Park on Sunday to hold one of the biggest gatherings calling for the release of all the remaining hostages in Gaza.
Ilana Gritzevsky, 31, a former prisoner released after 55 days of confinement, said Israel, the United States and everyone involved in negotiations continued to carry out a ceasefire contract and remained, including her boyfriend. Matan Zangerkar, prisoner of war for more than 506 days, said he must do everything he can to bring hostages home.
“I can't stop thinking about each of the invites, I can't stop thinking about my matan, and nothing stops until we bring them all home,” she told the crowd. He spoke.
Gritzevsky and other speakers, including survivors of October 7, 2023, and families of terrorist attacks and hostages, led the crowd with a chant, “Let them go home!” And “You're not alone!”
The former captive spoke of the horrors of the terrorist attack when Hamas operatives delved into Kibbutznir-Oz's home early in the morning of October 7, 2023 and lured her and Matan.
“Within a few minutes, fear was above us,” recalled Gritzewsky. “My body may have returned, but the deepest part of me is still there.
“The world doesn't understand the magnitude of this trauma, and the temptation clung to our emotional suffering,” she said.
Oona and Ronen Neutra, parents of the murdered hostage and New York native Omar Neutra, thank the Biden and Trump administrations for securing the ceasefire contract until the son's body can be returned home. They called for a ceasefire to continue.
“We lost hope to see Omer alive,” one of his sad parents said Li, who is from Plainview.
“But Omar deserves a dignified burial and we deserve a place to mourn. Take them home now,” the attacked relative added.
Omer is one of at least 36 hostages believed to be dead now, whose bodies are already set to be handed over at the final stage of the already tense ceasefire deal.
Negotiations over a second phase of the deal, where all remaining hostages are now believed to have been released after Israel halted the release of Palestinian prisoners over the weekend, are currently suspended.
The Jewish state accused Hamas of violating the deal when he released the body of an unknown woman in Gazan on Thursday in place of Israeli mother Siri Vivas, and the body of the murdered mother was Friday night I'm back.
“We've been unable to stand the last few weeks, especially the last few days,” said Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), one of the thrus that has been held at the park for months to show support. I mentioned it in. For hostages.
“I'm always standing up here, fighting for a world where hostages are taken home and unable to repeat October 7th,” Torres told the crowd.
Israeli US ambassador Jacob Lou said negotiations must be highlighted by Hamas no longer in charge and the future of Gaza can no longer pose a threat to the Jewish state.
“The Israelites deserve safety,” Lu said.
