Monday, January 15, 2024

Israelis dance, sing, pray for Gaza hostages on 100th day of war

AFP
January 14, 2024

People gathered in Tel Aviv to mark the 100th day after an unprecedented attack by Hamas fighters on Israel that triggered war with the Palestinian militant movement - Copyright AFP GIL COHEN-MAGEN


Anne-Sophie Labadie with Joseph Boyle in Jerusalem

On a cold and rainy Sunday in Tel Aviv, hundreds of Israelis joined events to mark 100 days since Hamas militants attacked Israel, sparking a retaliation that has since taken tens of thousands of Palestinian lives.

The crowd’s focus was on the hostages taken by Hamas fighters on October 7, of whom 132 remain in Gaza, according to Israeli officials, though 25 are thought to be dead.

“One hundred days and they are still abandoned there, 100 days and there is no sign of their return,” said Amit Zach, a graphic designer who joined the crowds in Tel Aviv.

The campaign to get the hostages back has been spearheaded by families of the captives and has helped keep their plight at the centre of the domestic debate.

Israeli politicians say it is one of their war aims in Gaza, along with destroying Hamas and ensuring an attack on the scale of October 7 can never happen again.

But some of those gathered in Tel Aviv were unimpressed.

“I don’t think we imagined a situation where we would be here on the 100th day,” said Gili Dvash Yeshurun.

She said there was no longer any “concept of security” between citizens and the government.

The Hamas attack resulted in about 1,140 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

The fighters also abducted around 250 people from southern Israeli communities and a trance music festival, though dozens were freed in a swap with Palestinian prisoners in late November.



– ‘In tunnels, in basements’ –



Israel has since bombarded Gaza by land, sea and air, killing at least 23,968 people in the Palestinian territory, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Music events throughout the day drew crowds who danced, chanted and joined arms, often under umbrellas.

Early on Sunday, trance DJ Artifex, who had played at the rave party where dozens were abducted and 364 killed according to official figures, played a set to hundreds as a tribute to those victims.

Elsewhere, men wearing skullcaps and prayer shawls read from scriptures while standing in the rain.

The day of events also included a cycle ride around Tel Aviv’s velodrome where scores of amateur cyclists gathered to do laps while the names and faces of hostages flashed up on giant screens.

“We are not the government. We are not the army. The only thing we can do is tell the world the tragedy these people are living,” 72-year-old yoga teacher Alisa Duron told AFP at the velodrome as she prepared to set off.

“We as a country need to be strong together.”

Israel’s trade union federation, Histadrut, said hundreds of thousands of workers around the country laid down their tools at midday in a 100-minute stoppage to mark the 100th day of captivity.


“Until the last minute, I hoped that a miracle would happen and we wouldn’t need to stand here today,” said Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar-David at a rally in Tel Aviv.

But he went on to say it was necessary to “remind the whole world” that the hostages were still held “in Gaza, in tunnels, in basements”.

On Saturday, families of hostages had unveiled a replica of the tunnels in Gaza where their loved ones are believed to be held.

The mock-up of a Hamas tunnel was installed outside Tel Aviv Museum of Art, with a dimly lit passage, dirt on the ground and the sounds of gunfire and shelling playing constantly.

Israel supporters gather in European capitals, 100 days on from attack



AFP
January 14, 2024

Flag-waving Israel supporters gather for the demonstration in Trafalgar Square, central London - Copyright Ritzau Scanpix/AFP 

Bo Amstrup

On foot and pedal bike, thousands of Israel supporters gathered in London, Paris and Berlin on Sunday to call for the release of hostages held by Hamas for 100 days.

Several thousand turned London landmark Trafalgar Square into a sea of Israeli flags and yellow balloons, symbolising the 132 hostages who remain captive after being kidnapped on October 7.

The attack by Hamas militants triggered Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza that has left thousands dead.

Some supporters held placards reading “stand with Israel” and “never again is now” while guest speakers on stage led the crowd in chants of “bring them home”.

The event was marked by a heavy police presence and tight security, with all attendees undergoing bag checks and frisking.

“I’m here to support Israel, to support our community and our people,” retiree Arthur Goldberg, from north London, told AFP.

“You have to have empathy with an ordinary Gazan citizen, they are going through a nightmare. However, there are 150 hostages that are being detained,” added the 56-year-old.

“There are consequences to how government’s behave, and they voted for that government.”

The Hamas attack resulted in about 1,140 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

The fighters also abducted around 250 people from southern Israeli communities and a trance music festival, though dozens were released in a swap with Palestinian prisoners in late November.

Israel has since bombarded Gaza, killing at least 23,968 people in the Palestinian territory, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas health ministry.



– ‘Rock and hard place’ –



Ursula Conlong, 59, travelled six hours from North Wales for the event.

“I support Israel. The people that support Israel in England, we know each other, there’s a network,” said the former volunteer teacher.

“Israel is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“What’s interesting about this event is how we are scrutinised coming in… but the other marches around the world, pro-Palestinian, there isn’t this security. Israel supporters aren’t trying to kill Palestinian supporters,” she added.

Several hundred people also marched through the streets of Berlin on Sunday, waving Israeli flags to demand the “immediate” release of the hostages.

Marchers carried signs reading “100 days in hell” and “bring the hostages home now”.

Others held up placards criticising the Israeli government for “betraying the hostages” and calling for “an immediate ceasefire”.

And in Paris, a series of events took place at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

“The French nation is determined that… all the hostages of the terrorist attacks of October 7 should be freed,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday.

Earlier in London, around 250 cyclists completed a 4.5 mile (7.2km) ride inside Regents Park to draw attention to those still detained.

“I’m hoping to remind the world of the existence of the hostages, still unfortunately living where they are living in Gaza under the conditions they are living in, which is inhumane,” said accountant David Landau, 57.

“The Pakistanis have thrown the Afghans back into Afghanistan and the Chinese are doing what they are doing to the Uighur Muslims, but apparently the world is focussed on one thing and one thing alone, which is hypocrisy and anti-Semitism,” he added.

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