Day: September 2, 2024

They came to mourn — and demand freedom.

Thousands came to Columbus Circle on Sunday night to honor the memory of six hostages abducted in the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks on Israel who were found slain in Gaza on Saturday.

The murder of the six hostages, which included American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, diminished the hopes of families of the remaining 101 hostages still in captivity nearly a year after Hamas attacked Israel that their loved ones would ever be safely returned to them. 

Sunday’s vigil sought to not only comfort those now in mourning but also voice resolve that Israel and Hamas “seal the deal” for peace and ensure the safe return of all remaining hostages now in captivity. 

“Words cannot describe the past 24 hours,” said Dana Cwiagrach of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. “We have been advocating, shouting, rallying, marching, running for the past 11 months almost to demand with a very clear statement: We need a deal to save lives.”

Bearing Israel and American flags, many crowd members chanted “Bring them home now!” and “Seal the deal!” — their voices serving as a public appeal to the international community and the U.S. government to help ensure a peace deal that delivers freedom to the hostages. 

“There is no more time,” Cwiagrach added. “These last 24 hours, we lost six cherished souls, and I cannot stress this enough: 48 hours ago, They were all alive. A deal could have saved their lives.”

The Sept. 1 vigil included a reading of names of the 101 remaining hostages in captivity — including Omer Neutra, a 22-year-old Long Island native who volunteered to serve in the Israeli Defense Force. Neutra was abducted on Oct. 7, 2023 as he and other IDF members responded to the attack. 

“We stand here before you tonight on this day with such devastating news, in with the families [of the six murdered hostages] are burning their loved ones instead of celebrating their return. This should not have happened,” said Orna Neutra, Omer Neutra’s mother. “It is devastating that after 11 months, Hamas terrorists are still holding onto over 100 members of our families. We are heartbroken.”

Edan Alexander was also taken captive on Oct. 7 while serving with the IDF. Adi Alexander, his father, honored the family of Goldberg-Polin, noting that they “have shown strength and courage that most people will never need to express.” He also publicly pleaded with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden not to delay a deal; after mentioning that Netanyahu’s stance on a peace deal might be hardening, the crowd began chanting, “Shame!”

“None of this had to happen. I would like to tell President Biden to tell Prime Minister Netanyahu: Do not delay the deal,” Adi Alexander said. “As we approach another now-or-never moment in the negotiations, President Biden must make it clear that negotiations cannot fail again. Let’s get them all home and seal the deal.”