Families of Israeli hostages try to cross into Gaza to save loved ones

Relatives of some of the hostages still being held by Palestinian militants in Gaza, carrying photos and wearing shirts with red paint, gathered in Nirim in southern Israel, about 2 km from the border with Gaza.

Relatives of hostages walk toward the Gaza border, August 29. Photo: Reuters

They began shouting messages of support through a series of loudspeakers aimed at the Gaza border. “Hersh, it’s me, son,” Jon Polin shouted. His son Hersh Goldberg-Polin is one of 107 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza. He was taken hostage at a music festival.

"What you need to know, and all 107 of you need to know, is that it's not just the families here today and the 9 million people of this country, but people all over the world who are fighting for you," he said.

Hersh's mother, Rachel Goldberg, raised her hands to the sky and said into the microphone: "We love you. Be strong. Survive."

At one point, a few dozen protesters broke away and ran toward the Gaza border in the distance. “We will take them back to Israel, where they belong, where they are supposed to be,” said Eyal Kalderon, whose cousin Ofer was being held hostage, gasping for breath.

They were stopped by Israeli police before reaching the border. Police warned that standing in an open field would make them easy targets for Palestinian militants.

“We tried to go into Gaza to bring the hostages back. The family members and the army stopped us because they were trying to protect us. But the hostages are not protected there,” said Gil Dickmann. His cousin, Carmel Gat, is also being held by Hamas.

"We have to sign an agreement now and bring all the hostages back. We are appealing to our Prime Minister: if you cannot do this, we will go in and bring them back ourselves. Bring them home now."

Nirim was one of several Israeli communities around the Gaza Strip that were hit by a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7, sparking the Gaza war. International efforts to reach a ceasefire and a recent hostage release deal have all come to a standstill.

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/gia-dinh-cac-con-tin-israel-tim-cach-vuot-bien-vao-gaza-de-cuu-nguoi-than-post309991.html