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Tearful kin of some Israeli hostages walked through an emotional crowd of hundreds of supporters on their way to the United Nations in Manhattan on Tuesday to plead for their loved ones’ return.
Among those gathered were the grim-faced parents of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, the Israeli American whose arm was blown off when Hamas terrorists attacked an Israeli music festival Oct. 7.
Relatives of Edan Alexander, 19 — a recent high school graduate from Tenafly, NJ, who was serving in the Israeli military when he went missing since Hamas’ surprise attack — also were in the crowd of about 500.
“Just bring him home. That’s all,” said an Alexander family member — wearing a shirt with his picture on it — when asked for comment.
Ralliers cheered on the anguished families, some carrying signs that said, “Stand with Israel,” “Please the Hostages, Bring Them Home” as well as one that read “His Arm Was Blown Off Then He Was Taken Hostage #Bring_Hersh_Home.”
Cars driving past the demonstration honked their horns in support while people shouted, “Bring them home!”
Supporters gathered in front of the UN to try to urge officials to do all they can to get the hostages released.
Polin-Goldberg’s mother, Rachel Goldberg, later told the crowd that she has not heard from her son since he sent her two cryptic texts the day the militants massacred more than 260 Israeli revelers who were at the same music festival.
After hearing bombs that Saturday morning, she decided to turn on her phone — which she typically never does on the Sabbath — to check on her son, she said, recounting an emotional tale she has previously described.
Goldberg said she received two texts from Polin-Goldberg: “I love you” and, “I’m sorry.”
“And I immediately knew something horrible was unfolding in my world,” Goldberg said, CNN reported.
She later received a video of her son being loaded onto a truck “with a bloody stump where his left arm used to be.
“And that was 18 days ago. And since then, we know nothing,” Goldberg said.
The parents of Omer Neutra, a Long Island native and IDF commander who is among those taken hostage by Hamas, said they have not heard from their son since Oct. 6.
“We are not satisfied, knowing that it’s been 17 days and nothing seems to be moving,” his mother, Orna, said about Israel and the US’s response to free those taken captive.
“One of the parents mentioned in the UN today this is a world crisis, it’s not just our personal crisis. There were at least 33 citizens of different countries in the world and where are they. Everybody needs to speak up and do their share trying to resolve this,” she said.
The Neutras were scheduled to meet with UN Secretary General António Guterres but, “The decision was taken not to meet with him after his harsh remarks regarding the responsibility of Israel in this,” Ronen Neutra, Omer’s father, told the Post.
Guterres said at a UN session Tuesday, “It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum’’ — prompting Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to pull out of a meeting with him and demand he resign.
Gaya Gurman, a 24-year-old medical student from Israel, told The Post she was advocating for “those who were kidnapped, those who were slaughtered and those who are fighting for us out there — whether it’s in Gaza, in the West Bank or in Lebanon.
“I have two friends who are held hostage in Gaza. One of them is a soldier, and the other was at a party. They’re both 23 years old. We don’t know what’s going on with them. The only thing I can do is speak up for them because they don’t have a voice right now,” Gurman said.
“One of them was a civilian. He was at a party just trying to have fun with his friends. Twenty-three years old, taken away. Why? Because he is Jewish? Because he is Israeli,” she said, breaking down in tears.
Michelle Zadok, 18, said she came out to the demonstration to tell the world, “This is wrong,” referring to the hostage-taking.
Zadok, who is from Israel and taking a gap year in the US before enlisting in the Israel Defense Forces, held a red carnation as she spoke.
“They need to be back in their homes. These are people that we know. These are our friends. These are kids from our school that were kidnapped while they were partying and celebrating life,” Zadok said.
“No matter what side you’re taking, it’s important to understand that kidnapping innocent children and elderly people is just not a solution for anything. Nothing justifies it even if you support the people in Gaza, and even if you think that the land belongs to them, still, kidnapping is wrong,” she said.
Moran Aloni said his two sisters, brother, three nieces and brother-in-law were all kidnapped Oct. 7.
“I want to say thank for all the support. We see it. We feel it. I want to say thanks to the countries that support us in bringing our families back,” he said before leading the crowd in a “Bring them back” chant.
Also outside the UN building was Yuval Harari, an 18-year-old from Bergen County, NJ, who was taking a gap year in Israel but came home after the Hamas attack. The teen said it was important to spread awareness of what people are going through.
“Being away from Israel is very tough with everything going on. I have a lot of family that is constantly running to bomb shelters,” Harari said. “I know people in the army that have been kidnapped, so it’s important for me to come here to bring awareness so the whole world can see the horrors that we are going through.”
The Hostages & MIssing Families Forum, one of the organizers of the event, said it has been working around the clock since the Oct. 7 onslaught.
“Today is a critical day, like every day, but today feels even more critical because the families of the hostages and missing are coming especially from Israel, and they are coming in the hope that the world will act more drastically and in a way wake up,” said Naama Keha, a volunteer with the group.
“We know the nature of Hamas. We know it’s a barbaric terrorist organization, so this is to support the families coming from Israel, and also to show the United Nations, the world leaders … all the organizations that need to be more active, and show them that we won’t be silent, we won’t sit still,” Keha said.
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