PROTESTERS gathered outside the New York City residence of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday to express dissatisfaction with the international body’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war and to demand action for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
The demonstrators, including relatives of the hostages, holding flowers and Israeli flags while displaying signs that read ‘Bring them back home now!’ and ‘Kidnapped.’
“I’m from the kibbutz of Be’eri. Both of my parents got kidnapped on October 7. My mom came back like two weeks ago, but my dad is still there. She told me about the horrible stuff that she went through there,” Natalie Benamir, Demonstrator said.
“It doesn’t matter if he is Jewish, I don’t know the reason why they took him, maybe the reason is that he lives in Israel. He is a person, he is a human, they are all humans, they are not just names and pictures. They are humans, they are a family and we need them back home now,” she added.
The protesters accused the UN of ‘legitimising terrorism’ through its perceived inaction and called for stronger measures against Hamas.
They are urging UN Secretary-General Guterres to prioritise the issue and take decisive action to secure the release of the hostages.
“Hamas’ attack on October 7th violated the UN resolutions, violated the international humanitarian law that was established by international institutions and we are here in order to tell Mr. Guteres that he is not standing behind the historical resolutions and commitments of his own organisation,” demonstrator, demanding action on Israeli hostages.
Around 135 people remain hostage of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
A seven-day truce forged in late November saw Hamas release over 100 people – including 86 Israeli women and children, and in exchange, Israel freed around 240 Palestinians from Israeli jails.
Israeli officials claimed around 140 people remain in captivity in Gaza.
The ceasefire collapsed and the fighting resumed on December 1, with Israel and Hamas blaming each other.
Israeli forces claimed that Hamas broke the truce.
While Hamas alleged that Israel had ‘refused all offers’ to extend it.
Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200 according to Israeli officials.
Israel declared war on Hamas and a ‘complete siege’ of Gaza, with a large-scale campaign of air strikes.
Palestinian officials reported had killed over 1,500 people in the first week – and many thousands more since.
A ground incursion began at the end of the third, with Israeli leaders vowing to ‘wipe out’ Hamas. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. The IDF also said it killed Hamas commanders, and many of the group’s operatives have surrendered recently.
But UN experts warned against ‘collective punishment’ for the people of Gaza before predicting a ‘humanitarian crisis’ and then claimed that ‘hell is settling in’ for the region.
