From the Liveblog of
Monday, December 2, 2024
Protesters in New York decry UN Women’s ‘deafening silence’ over Hamas atrocities on Oct. 7
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
Protesters stage a silent protest in front of the UN Women headquarters in New York, demanding that the organization condemn Hamas atrocities against women during the terror group’s October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel, and call for the immediate release of 13 women who have been held hostage in Gaza since.
During the demonstration, organized by the Hostages Families Forum, 13 women dressed in white stand with their mouths covered with duct tape with the number 423 written on it, representing the number of days the hostages have spent in captivity.
Lian Weiss, whose relative Arbel Yehoud was kidnapped from her home on Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, says: “Please close your eyes for a moment and imagine. Imagine it is you. You are ripped from your home. You, enduring 423 days—14 months—a year and two months of violence and isolation. Imagine the pain. The fear. The helplessness. How would you feel? How would you survive?”
“We cannot let this become their forever. Every moment we delay is another moment of agony for these women. We must act. We have the power to change their fate.”
Following the devastating news of the death on 10.7 of Israeli American hostage Omer Neutra, NY Hostages Families Forum marks International day against sexual violence in front of UN WOMEN HQ.
Activists gather in front of UN WOMEN HQ, demanding the organisation condemns and… pic.twitter.com/XwN7UIQbHV
— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) December 2, 2024
Influencer and pro-Israel activist Lizzy Savetsky says during the protest, “It is despicable that UN Women have remained silent and inactive. Their ability to speak up for women in Gaza and Lebanon demonstrates they can act when they choose to. Yet, when it comes to advocating for our women, their silence is deafening. If these girls belonged to another nationality or religion, I have no doubt UN Women would be speaking out for them.”
It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF.
They were kidnapped when some Hamas-led 3,000 terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
The Times of Israel Community.