Harrowing messages for Israeli hostages as vigil staged for missing loved ones
The devastated relatives of loved ones taken hostage by Hamas and held in Gaza are maintaining a vigil to demand: “Bring them Home.”
Yellow ribbons are being handed out in the centre of Tel Aviv as the campaign to free the 239 people being held captive continued to grow. Videos of a baby and children being held hostage are shown on huge advertising billboards outside the main Azrieli shopping mall.
Shoppers stand and watch in silence as the films come around on a loop every minute. Dozens of family members of the missing sit on the side of the road talking to passersby.
The Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai stopped to talk to Mirror Online on a private visit this afternoon. He said: “I’ve just come down to offer my support.”
Harrowing messages were displayed on the wall for missing loved ones (Humphrey Nemar)He shook the hands of mums and dads of the hostages and thanked volunteers. On the wall there are photos of all the hostages. Home made posters proclaim: “Bring Granny Home” “I want my dad back.”
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Others are aimed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying: “Don’t let them down TWICE.” It comes as strikes against Gaza intensified over the weekend, including in an area near the state's biggest hospital.
One strike by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) resulted in major power and phone reception outages, which was restored on Saturday. Israel's military said on Sunday meanwhile they had killed an unconfirmed number of Hamas militants as they were exiting a tunnel near the Erez crossing, which used to be the sole pedestrian passageway out of the coastal enclave into Israel before it was destroyed in the fighting.
Families are maintaining a vigil pleading for loved ones to be returned (Humphrey Nemar)Mr Netanyahu this weekend called the so-far three week war a fight for Israel's existence, proclaiming, "`Never again' is now." He said Israel was determined to bring back 229 hostages taken by Hamas militants in the October 7 rampage which killed hundreds, marking a "second stage" of the war.
The Palestinian death toll has now passed 8,000 people, most of whom were women and children, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids.
More than 1,400 people were slain in Israel during a surprise incursion by Hamas militants earlier this month, including at least 310 soldiers, according to the Israeli government. Four of the 229 hostages have been released while the rest remain missing.
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