Activists call for immediate hostage release at three London embassies
A special bus featuring images and stories of the nine British-linked hostages travelled between the Turkish, Qatari and Egyptian consulates
Activists from the Hostage & Missing Families Forum UK and Stop The Hate have visited the embassies of Turkey, Qatar and Egypt to call for the release of the 100 remaining hostages in Gaza.
In recognition of International Human Rights Day, a specially designed bus featuring images and stories of the nine British-linked hostages travelled between the three embassies, nations with significant roles in recent hostage negotiations.
While hand-delivered letters demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages were taken to each consulate, none of the ambassadors agreed to meet with the families, or be photographed with the participants of the rally.
Currently, 100 hostages from more than 20 nationalities remain captive in Gaza, including nine with British connections: Emily Damari, Eli Sharabi, Yossi Sharabi, Avinatan Or, Tsachi Idan, Shay Levinson, Keith Siegel, Ilan Weiss and Oded Lifshitz.
These hostages, alongside 91 others, have endured captivity for over 424 days and they have not been visited by any international aid organisations.
Nivi Feldman, chair of Hostages Families Forum UK, said: “The 100 hostages are not an Israeli problem. It is a British problem and it’s also a problem for the other 20 countries that have their nationals being held hostage for over 432 days in captivity against any human rights.
“Let them go today. Their families are waiting for them. We are all waiting for them. We hope that Qatar, Turkey or Egypt will manage to mediate a deal where all hostages return and all sides can heal.”
Itai Galmudy, Stop The Hate UK, said: “We will not rest until every hostage is brought home. We call on the global community to hold nations accountable for their role in enabling or mitigating such tragedies and demand immediate, concerted action for the release of innocent lives held in captivity”.
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