The Israeli-American cousin of six hostages taken by Hamas is relieved the mastermind of the Oct. 7 massacre of Israel is dead, but she fears the Israeli government isn’t doing enough to free the remaining prisoners of the terror group.
“For over a year, we have been abandoned by a government that has prioritized military goals and political power over making a deal to save the men, women and children tortured and rotting in the dark, damp tunnels under Gaza,” said Alana Zeitchik, who had three cousins and their young kids snatched by Hamas last year.
Zeitchik was among around 100 people who gathered in Central Park Sunday to show their support for Israel at the height of the Sukkot holiday, which this year coincided with Israeli troops eliminating Yahya Sinwar, who was killed during a routine patrol in Rafah Wednesday.
But Zeitchik cautioned Sinwar’s death was not a time to celebrate — but a time to end the violence and bring the remaining hostages home alive and safe.
“Hostages who could have been saved were executed in captivity, sacrificed for the sake of a never ending military campaign that has caused too much suffering,” she said, describing the ongoing war in Gaza as something that has left the Israeli society “shattered” and the “entire region suffering.”
Zeitchik’s cousins and their young children — 3-year-old twin girls and a 5-year-old girl — were kidnapped on Oct.7 last year. The kids and one of their parents were released during the brief ceasefire deals last winter, but her cousins David Cunio and Ariel Cunio remain in Hamas captivity.
“The only thing that will set us free from this never ending nightmare is the safe return of every remaining hostage,” she said. “Every single one of them is the only thing worth celebrating. So now is the time to be courageous as ever and hold Israeli leadership accountable for all the lives we can save through diplomacy.”
Dana Cwaigrach, one of the organizers of Sunday’s event, agreed that Sinwar’s death was not the time to lose focus on the ultimate objective in Gaza.
“Israel has eliminated him. This is good news. This is good news that this horrible terrorist, this the person who is in charge of this mass murder, is no longer living,” Cwaigrach said. “However, this is not a full victory for Israel, and this is something that is important for us to convey and to reiterate this message, this is not a full victory.
“A whole an only victory for us, for Israel, for the Jewish people, for the families, is only if only if the 101 hostages are home,” Cwaigrach added. “Until they are all home, this is not a victory and we cannot celebrate.”
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