Credit: Chamber of Deputies
A delegation of survivors and family members of hostages from Israel recently visited Luxembourg to share their experiences and urge for the release of hostages taken by Hamas during the terrorist attack of Saturday 7 October 2023.
The survivors of Hamas' attack on Israel shared their testimonies with Luxembourg MPs and members of the press, respectively. On Wednesday 15 November 2023, they visited the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg's parliament), where they spoke of their own experiences and those of family members who had been taken hostage or killed by Hamas. They urged politicians to push for the release of the some 240 hostages taken from Israel into Gaza on 7 October. The Chamber of Deputies recalled that Luxembourg MPs had "repeatedly" denounced the "use of civilians as human shields" and again condemned the taking of civilian hostages. MPs stressed the need for the international community to step in to find a "viable perspective" for Israel and Palestine.
Chronicle.lu also had the opportunity to speak with one of the survivors as well as Israel's Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg the following day, on Thursday 16 November 2023.
Survivor's testimony
Ayelet Hakim, a 55-year-old woman from Be'eri in southern Israel (a "kibbutz" community near the Gaza Strip), explained how her sister, Raz Ben-Ami, and brother-in law, Ohad Ben-Ami, had been taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October. "The reason I came here is because I wanted to plead to the world to help set them free and bring them back," said Ayelet. She recalled her own experience of that day: she and her children hid for seventeen hours in their safe room, "in the dark, without water or food", trying to keep quiet while Hamas militants were in their house. She described "bullets flying and bombs and explosions" going on around them, as the militants tried to open the door to their safe room. "I survived and my kids survived it but my sister is a hostage, being held in Gaza. My main goal in my life right now is to bring her back," she said, adding that her sister is sick and requires medication, but she has received no news of her current situation or well-being. "Nothing. Not a word from anybody in the world," she lamented.
Whilst Ayelet assured she was sympathetic also towards the women and children suffering in Gaza, she lamented that the focus of the international community and media appears to have switched away from the Israeli hostages. "It feels like we are nothing," she said. "Israeli citizens, human beings are being held in Gaza under a lot of stress [...] And the world is silent." But survivors and family members like Ayelet are speaking out on behalf of the hostages: "My main mission right now is to talk everywhere I can about my sister and her husband, and to say to the world: 'bring them back’'." She noted that her sister and brother-in-law have three daughters "waiting for them to come home".
Asked about the impact of the Hamas attack on her own children, Ayelet said she believed they were "very damaged right now". She described how they had kept "really quiet" during the seventeen-hour ordeal, which was unusual because "children are not quiet [...]. It makes me feel like they felt and knew that we were in a horrible situation and they should be quiet. And it hurts me a lot to think about it, because kids should be screaming, shouting, playing." However, she was optimistic that they would overcome this horrific experience: "Kids are very resilient. I know they will rise up and [...], on the other side of that, they will be better than they were before."
Speaking about her visit to Luxembourg, Ayelet noted that this was her first destination abroad where she is speaking out for her sister and other hostages. "It's a very nice destination, and I wish I came here for a good reason," she said. "Maybe one day […] when my sister comes back to me, I’ll bring her here." She spoke positively about the meetings held here in recent days, noting the empathy of the people with whom she had spoken. She described this as particularly important as "it feels like the world just doesn't listen. They hear a lot of what Hamas is saying and what's going on in Gaza - which is very bad, it's horrible as well. Well, I'm here to tell my story and my side. And I think my side is equally important." She later added: "I'm not against the Palestinian people. [...] And I don't think there are sides here. Palestinians and Israelis are [...] both held captive by Hamas", but she felt that the suffering of both sides deserved equal attention. Later, when asked whether she felt the end was in sight regarding the possible release of her sister and brother-in-law, Ayelet said: "I don't see the end but I'm hoping for it. I'm praying for it everyday."
Other testimonies
Several other Israeli survivors and family members of victims of the Hamas attack were present in Luxembourg recently. Among the delegation was 72-year-old Dvora Idan who shared the story of her 49-year-old son, Tzachi, who was kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Her eighteen-year-old granddaughter Mayann was murdered by Hamas in front of the whole family - an ordeal that Dvora was forced to witness through a Facebook livestream. For her part, 35-year-old Laura Blajman spoke about how she and her husband were partying at the Nova music festival on 7 October when Hamas attacked festival-goers. The couple hid with seven people in their caravan in the festival car park for six hours, during which time Hamas militants repeatedly tried to open the door, shooting at it and attempting to set it on fire.
Interview with Israel's Ambassador
For her part, Israel's Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, Idit Rosenzweig-Abu, who is based in Brussels, explained to Chronicle.lu that the embassy had helped facilitate the meetings in Luxembourg for the delegation from Israel. The reason? "We feel that the issue of the hostages has been put aside. Because there is a war going on and there are terrible images coming from the war [...] and they [Israelis] feel forgotten," noted the ambassador. "They want their voices heard." She added that the survivors wished to "explain the deep level of threat" associated with this attack, a level of threat which she reasoned was "why Israel is so determined to eliminate the infrastructure of Hamas in Gaza."
She described the attack of 7 October 2023 as "barbaric like nothing before, very well planned" and executed with a "psychotic viciousness" comparable to attacks carried out by ISIS in the past. "And what did the world do with ISIS?" she asked. "The Global Coalition demolished infrastructure, killed the leaders and cut the money. We're trying to do the same." Speaking about Israel's rejection of calls for a ceasefire, Ambassador Idit Rosenzweig-Abu argued that this would be considered "a victory for Hamas" and "a victory for Jihadism in general", which would be "globally dangerous". She later added: "It seems the international community tells us Hamas is a terror organisation, [...] Israel has a right to defend itself, but not like that. But defend ourselves how?"
As for the situation in Israel following the Hamas attack, and whether this has sparked tensions between Muslims and Jews there, the ambassador noted that on the contrary, relations appeared "better" and "more united" than ever. She cited a recent survey that asked the Arab population of Israel if they identified with the state, and 70% said they did, compared to just under 50% before 7 October. She attributed this development in part to the fact that many Muslim people had also been killed, injured and kidnapped by Hamas. The Muslim community has also been affected by displacement following the attack. "I think that Hamas was counting on the Arab communities in Israel to join them and I think they really miscalculated," the ambassador said.
Concerning reports of rising incidents of antisemitism around the world, Ambassador Idit Rosenzweig-Abu noted that in Brussels alone, the Jewish community has reported a 700% increase in incidents. "There is fear in the community," she said, adding that security has been increased around synagogues. She lamented that "there is an outrageous tolerance towards hate speech and incitement for violence" in Brussels, although she was not aware of a similar situation in Luxembourg - Chronicle.lu is not aware either of any reports of violence or hate speech at recent demonstrations in Luxembourg City (whether "pro-Israel" or "pro-Palestine").
