The uncertainty is probably one of the worst things. More than 100 Israeli hostages are said to still be in the hands of Hamas. Their relatives do not know whether they are still alive, how they are doing or under what circumstances they are being held captive.
It is you, the relatives, who repeatedly draw attention to what happened to you and your loved ones on October 7, 2023. How they were kidnapped, how other family members were killed or harassed in front of their eyes.
A man reports how he and his little daughter hid in a hole from the terrorists for many hours. His wife was released after more than 50 days in the Gaza Strip, and his sister is still in the hands of Hamas.
They are shocking reports. The relatives are appealing to political leaders in Israel and around the world to work for the release of the hostages. It is also a fight for the public discourse that they lead.
In the international debate, the suffering of prisoners is increasingly being ignored. The more precarious the situation for the civilian population in Gaza, the more there is discussion about the responsibility of the Israeli government and the less often about Hamas. And even more rarely about the fate of the hostages.
Their role is neglected when, for example, the American president publicly criticizes the Israeli prime minister for the suffering of the people in Gaza. In many other protest notes around the world, the people in the Hamas tunnels only play a role in a subordinate clause.
Even in Israel there are hardliners who doubt whether their liberation should be the top priority. The government’s main goal is to destroy Hamas. And with each passing day, some confidence that the hostages can be rescued disappears.
When Chancellor Olaf Scholz holds talks this Sunday first in Jordan and then in Israel, a lot will be focused on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, and rightly so.
The civilian population there is suffering and knows neither where to flee nor where to get food, medicine or other help. But in all these conversations, the hostages must not be neglected.
Hamas could do the most to improve the situation
Of course, it is necessary to talk about how the humanitarian situation in Gaza can be improved. It is also right to put pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent the situation from escalating further.
A longer ceasefire, more aid for the civilian population and talks about pacifying the conflict are important. But this list definitely includes the release of the hostages. This bargaining chip cannot be left to Hamas.
If the only question is what Israel needs to do to improve the situation, what Hamas needs to do is ignored. The other, essential addressee of all peace demands is hardly mentioned anymore.
She has it in her hands: by freeing the hostages, she could end the war and thus the suffering of the Palestinian population more quickly. But you would have to be interested in people’s suffering at all. But that is not the nature of a terrorist organization.
Hamas is waging a war against civilians, including its own.
Many relatives and hostages have advocated for coexistence
Quite a few of the people who were so brutally torn from their lives by Hamas campaigned for peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians before October 7th and tried to improve coexistence.
What the hostages and their relatives have to experience not only changes their lives. It has become deeply embedded in the Israeli consciousness.
But even in the greatest moment of grief, anger and despair, relatives say they believe in a peaceful solution to the conflict. However, the mandatory prerequisite is the release of the remaining hostages.
Source: Tagesspiegel
I work as a news website author and mostly cover the opinion section. I have been writing since I was a teenager, and have always enjoyed telling stories. I studied journalism at university and loved every minute of it. After graduating, I decided to move to London and take up a position with a Global Happenings. It has been an incredible experience, learning about all sorts of different cultures and meeting some amazing people. My goal is to continue learning and growing in my career so that I can provide readers with the best possible content.
