Hostages’ families say Jerusalem protest tent repeatedly vandalized

The hostage families’ tent outside the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem has been subject to repeated acts of vandalism over the past few weeks, according to the Jerusalem branch of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Ofek Lugasi, an activist who often spends his nights in the encampment, tells The Times of Israel that he discovered last night that the air conditioning pipe had been cut through.

“This isn’t the first time that this has happened. There was another morning that we woke up and had to call the air conditioning repairman, as we did today,” he says.

“We feel that violence against the work of bringing back the hostages is escalating further and further,” says Tom Barkai, who heads the Forum’s Jerusalem branch. She adds that the lock to the families’ warehouse next to the tent was also broken last night.

Barkai notes that two weeks ago during a Saturday night hostages rally, someone cut the group’s loudspeaker cables, making it impossible for many participants to hear speeches by those onstage.

“It is important for us to point out that our struggle for the return of the hostages is the most important issue in our view, especially in these critical moments,” she continues.