After filing their report against Hamas leaders in the International Criminal Court on Wednesday, 100 representatives of families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza held a march in The Hague. The demonstration was organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, who said that thousands of Jews from all over the world came to show their solidarity.
The march, which was held under the banner of “bring them home now,” was preceded by a press conference. “The most important thing I can do is speak on behalf of those left behind about the fear, sleep deprivation, and sexual abuse the girls there experience on a daily basis,” said Itai Regev, who was released from Hamas captivity after 54 days with his sister, Maya. “The hostages are out of time. We must get everyone out of there before it is too late.”
Yamit Ashkenazi, whose sister, Doron Steinbrecher, was abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Azza on October 7, said: “My little sister was kidnapped from her bed, from what was supposed to be the safest place in the world for her. Three weeks ago, Hamas released a video of my sister. She looked so frail, sick and afraid.
“The kibbutz I grew up in had turned into a town of horrors. I was locked in a safe room for almost 24 hours with my husband and two young children, while terrorists are trying to break in. We have lost so many friends – almost 10 percent of the kibbutz members were murdered, while 19 were kidnapped.
The world must wake up. The world needs to open its eyes, to look us in the eyes, and begin acknowledging what we went through. The world needs to know that my sister is in a tunnel somewhere, cold, hungry, without medication, and exposed to sexual violence for 131 days. The world needs to scream with me and demand that my baby sister, along with 133 other hostages, will be freed immediately.”
Gal Gilboa-Dalal is a survivor of the massacre at the Nova music festival, from which his brother, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, was kidnapped. “When I got inside the festival, my baby brother was waiting for me at the entrance, he was so excited to see me and so happy that I came, it was his first festival. As soon as I was rescued, I learned that a hostage video of my baby brother was released by Hamas. On the video you can see my baby brother laying on the floor, his shirt is ripped, looking at a camera saying his name, in a dark room. He seems frightened, confused and helpless. 131 days ago, Guy, my baby brother, went with his 3 best childhood friends to a peace and love music festival. One of them has been kidnapped with him, and two were brutally murdered,” he said.
“We have no way to reach him, speak with him, or even know how he is, while he is subjected to physical, sexual, and psychological abuse on a daily basis at the hands of brutal terrorists, along with 133 other innocent hostages. The struggle against the murderous Hamas terror organization is not just a problem for the estate of Israel, but for the entire world, the world cannot stay silent. It is vital that the international community get involved, that pressure be applied by the world.”
Dr. Shelly Aviv Yeini, the head of the forum’s legal team, said that submitting the report to the ICC is a significant step toward emphasizing the war crimes committed on October 7. “These crimes, including genocide, hostage taking, enforced disappearance, torture and sexual violence cannot and should not go unpunished. Criminals must be held criminally responsible for their atrocities,” she said. “We rely on the ability of the International Criminal Court to bring justice to the hostages and their families. This is part of the mechanism of exerting pressure to release the hostages and encouraging countries around the world to take legal action against those responsible for these heinous acts. This represents international recognition that holding hostages is always illegal.”
