By Estelle Shirbon
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – On Israeli metropolis streets and on tv, in outlets and in cafes, one image of solidarity with hostages held in Gaza has change into ubiquitous within the 100 days since Hamas kidnapped them: military-style canine tags worn on neckchains.
The small steel rectangles, much like these troopers carry for identification, are usually inscribed with two slogans in Hebrew, “our hearts are held hostage in Gaza” and “collectively we’ll win”, and one in English, “convey them home now”.
“Everyone desires to indicate their assist a method or one other,” mentioned Shayna Roth, 36, a digital advertising specialist and mom of three from Modi’in, close to Tel Aviv.
“It simply makes you’re feeling that irrespective of the place you go, irrespective of who you meet or discuss to, we’re all a nation, undivided.”
Israel says Hamas killed 1,200 folks throughout its assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, the worst lack of Jewish life in a single day for the reason that Holocaust and the deadliest day in Israel’s 75-year historical past.
Vowing to destroy Hamas, it has responded with a army offensive on Gaza that has up to now killed near 24,000 Palestinians, in response to Gaza well being officers, displaced many of the inhabitants and brought on widespread starvation and illness.
Israel faces a world outcry over the demise, destruction and struggling in Gaza, together with accusations introduced by South Africa on the United Nations’ high court docket that it’s conducting a genocide there. It has rejected this as a false and grossly distorted accusation.
Of the 240 hostages who had been kidnapped on Oct. 7, greater than 130 are nonetheless held captive in Gaza. Their plight, and the anguish of their households, are deeply felt throughout Israeli society.
“Wearing these canine tags actually permits us to connect with the households which were immediately affected,” mentioned Roth, who additionally has footage of hostages by her Shabbat candles, which in Jewish custom are lit on Friday evenings to usher within the Sabbath.
‘BEYOND WORDS’
Roth’s mom, Marilee Crowell, was visiting from California and was carrying a canine tag as the 2 ladies visited the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem.
Nestled among the many meals stalls and bakeries within the warren of alleyways, a memento store had a number of shows of canine tags. It was right here that Roth had purchased a batch of them to ship to her mom and different kin dwelling within the United States.
Crowell, 78, mentioned she was carrying hers to indicate her deep empathy with the hostages, their households, and Israelis normally, following the Oct. 7 killings.
“I stand with you in your struggling and sure, we would like the hostages again, sure, it is past phrases. I stand with you, I maintain your hand in your grief. That’s what it means to me,” she mentioned. Her daughter had tears in her eyes as she listened.
A gentle stream of shoppers stopped on the memento store and purchased canine tags. Among them, Judith, who didn’t want to give her household identify, purchased a number of, together with an uncommon mannequin with a spiritual blessing on it, “God bless you and maintain you”.
“Everybody is hurting. Everybody is aware of someone who’s a soldier, or is aware of someone who lives in (the southern) space, so all people’s concerned, it is one huge household. So it is simply displaying that we care, that we’re standing collectively,” she mentioned.
Steven Winston, a customer from Britain the place he runs a pro-Israel group referred to as the National Jewish Assembly, was carrying a canine tag he had purchased at “Hostages Square”, in Tel Aviv, the place hostages’ households and supporters have been campaigning.
Winston gave related causes for carrying the image, including that he wouldn’t hesitate to put on it in London, the place police reported a surge in hate crimes after Oct. 7, together with acts of antisemitism in addition to Islamophobia.
“If somebody tried to take it off me, then allow them to attempt, however I’m not going to draw back from my identification and my emotions. I’m proud to put on it,” mentioned Winston.
(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
