TRANSCRIPT
Mourners have gathered at a candlelight vigil in southern Jerusalem to remember Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American hostage who was killed in the Gaza Strip.
The vigil took place at his family's synagogue, a place that Shira Ben Sasson says once held happier memories.
“Hersh grew up here. The last night that we celebrated with him was the holiday of Simchat Torah, the evening before he went to the Nova Festival. And he was dancing on this floor right here the night before he left. And that’s the last that all of the congregation saw him. And we decided today that we need a space to pray and to sing and to write things down and to light a candle, to bring some flowers.”
The Israeli military discovered Mr Goldberg-Polin's body and the bodies of five other hostages on Saturday.
The Israeli military says Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino were killed by Hamas militants shortly before soldiers arrived to rescue them in the tunnel where they were being held in southern Gaza.
As news of the hostage killings spread, protesters blocked Tel Aviv's main highway on Sunday night as tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets, demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secure a ceasefire with Hamas to bring the remaining captives home.
The demonstration was the largest in 11 months of war.
At the funeral of Almog Sarusi, one of the six hostages killed, his mother, Nira, spoke.
You were abandoned, you were abandoned on and on, daily, hour after hour, 331 days. You were sacrificed on the altar for collapsing Hamas, Rafah, the Philadelphi Corridor. You and so many beautiful and pure souls. Enough. No more. No more”
Ruby Chen, the father of Israeli hostage Corporal Itay Chen, whose body is still being held in Gaza, says the international community needs to do more to push for a deal.
"These are times of urgency and we have gotten the support of the Union of Israel, the workers, to go on strike tomorrow as an indication of the urgency of now. And we urge also our international community partners and friends from the US, Germany and others, we have no time and if it means that the international community needs to come up with a proposal and enforce it on all the parties, Hamas and Israel, so be it.”.
Israel's largest trade union, Histadrut, has called a general strike for Monday, the first since the war began, aiming to disrupt major sectors of the economy.
Grieving over the loss of her cousin Carmel Gat, Shay Dickmann tearfully appealed to the Israeli government and world leaders to secure a ceasefire with Hamas that would bring Israeli hostages’ home.
"Carmel, Hersh and others, were supposed to be released in the humanitarian bit of the deal of July 2nd. We know today that the decision not to take the deal killed Carmel. ... Today, I urge my government and all the states of the world to make a deal, make it possible, make it happen. It's too late for us. It's too late for Carmel. I will never hug her again. But 101 people can still hug their families, for them, make the deal, save lives”
Meanwhile, Palestinians are fleeing Jenin as Israeli military operations continue in the occupied West Bank, with hundreds of Israeli troops conducting raids since last Wednesday.
Israel claims the operation is targeting Islamist militants.
So far, 19 Palestinians, including fighters and civilians, have been killed.
The Israeli military reports one soldier has also been killed.
This comes as the United Nations begins vaccinating 640,000 children in Gaza against Polio after brief pauses in fighting were agreed upon by Hamas and Israel.
On the first day of the campaign, over 72,000 children received their first dose, with a second dose due in four weeks.
UNRWA spokesperson Louise Wateridge says the pauses will need to be respected if the campaign is to succeed.
“So far, everything is going to plan. The children are arriving, the families are here, the vaccinations are going well. We have the vaccinations in individual cool boxes to sustain the heat of the day. It seems calm and quiet in the Gaza Strip so far. The humanitarian pause is so far lasting, which is what we need to implement this vaccine campaign, and we will see how things go over the coming days.”
