Hamas killed my parents. Now they are holding their bodies hostage in Gaza

Eight months – 248 days – and the international community has watched Hamas hold my parents’ remains hostage while terrorism triumphs.

This time of year offers many opportunities to express gratitude and love to parents – such as Mother’s Day in May, Father’s Day in June, or June 1, the United Nations’ World Parents’ Day. These holidays recognize the hard work and sacrifices parents make for their families. But for me and my three siblings, these holidays are accompanied by an unfathomable tragedy.

My parents – two of the eight Americans held hostage in Gaza – were on their morning walk through the fields of Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 when hundreds of Hamas terrorists stormed the area and abducted my parents into Gaza.

For 83 agonizing days, we hoped they were among the living hostages. Then Israeli intelligence and the FBI confirmed my worst fears: the terrorists murdered my mother, 70-year-old Judy Weinstein, and my father, 72-year-old Gad Haggai. They now keep their bodies as bargaining chips and as a disgusting trophy in memory of the death and destruction they caused.

USA must help in the release of Hamas hostages:For five months we thought our son was alive. Release the Hamas hostages and spare others our suffering.

On October 7, Hamas killed over a thousand innocent people and took hundreds more hostage.

My kibbutz has become a refugee community

Before the attack, my kibbutz was a quiet place full of families who were actively working for peace. Now more than a quarter of its residents have been murdered or taken hostage. More than half of the houses have been burned down, and families still live in some of them.

Today, my kibbutz stands empty. Those who survived the massacre are now a refugee community with no stability and no plans for the future, searching for a place they can call home again.

More than eight months have passed since October 7, and not a single international aid organization has visited the hostages. The International Committee of the Red Cross has provided no evidence of life, medicine or aid. It took the UN Security Council more than seven months to convene a meeting of the hostages. Women’s organizations remain silent even after new video footage shows Hamas torturing seven female hostages.

Daily threat of sexual violence:Hamas hostages in the Gaza Strip are still subjected to sexual violence. Believe the survivors.

The fate of the Hamas hostages can change at any second

As the 200-day mark passed, a coalition of 18 countries led by the United States issued a joint statement calling for the immediate release of all hostages. It was one of the most forceful responses to the hostage crisis since October 7. At the time, President Biden called on the world to pressure Hamas to agree to a deal, declaring: “Everyone who wants peace now must speak up and let leaders know to accept this deal.” Just days later, G-7 leaders issued a statement calling on Hamas to accept this deal.

This is a momentum that the international community cannot afford to miss. We must use it to bring our loved ones home and work toward peace in the region. As US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Cairo this week, regional governments must “put pressure on Hamas to say yes.”

This crisis is not political. It is a global humanitarian problem, a global threat. The fact is that no one can guarantee that October 7th will not happen again. In fact, it seems closer than ever. On October 7th, at least 32 Americans were murdered. This kind of thing can happen anywhere in the world, and tragically, Americans have experienced it first hand.

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