Current:Home > MyIsrael's U.N. mission hears from families of kidnapped, missing: "We want them back. It's all we want." -Trailblazer Capital Learning
Israel's U.N. mission hears from families of kidnapped, missing: "We want them back. It's all we want."
View
Date:2025-04-14 14:05:25
At a standing-room-only meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York, Israel's U.N. mission heard heart-wrenching accounts from families of Israelis, Americans and others believed to have been kidnapped by Hamas during its attack on Israel last Saturday.
"We experienced our darkest moment since the Holocaust," Israel's U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan said, adding, "Men, women, children, the elderly, not even newborn babies were spared. Entire communities have been erased. The savagery is unfathomable."
The first family member to speak was Yoni Asher, joining virtually from Israel. His wife Doron (who has German citizenship); their two young daughters, Raz and Aviv; as well as his mother, his mother-in-law and her husband were all taken hostage by Hamas.
"On Saturday morning… I woke up to the worst nightmare of my life," he said, tearing up as the crowd listened in silence.
"My wife was visiting her mother at one of the kibbutzim and I stayed home," Asher said. "I got a phone call from my wife, scared, scared, whispering, terrifying, saying that she's hearing gunshots and people are entering the house. Later on, I saw a video and, on this video, I saw my wife, two daughters got taken on a vehicle and I recognized them."
"I can't describe such a moment in words where you watch your whole family get taken away from you," he said.
Liam and Alana Zeitchik spoke about six family members — Danielle Alony, Sharon Alony Cunio, David Cunio, Julie Cunio, Emma Cunio and Amelia Alony — who were taken hostage.
Raquel and Jay Zeichik spoke about their niece Danielle and her family. "We want them back. It's all we want. We don't want war. The world should be together with us," Raquel Zeichik told CBS News.
There was Rabbi Burton Visotzky, whose cousin, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was taken.
"Hersh had just had his 23rd birthday and he knew there was this great dance party going on, so he went," he told CBS News. "And as the dawn broke, Hamas attacked and they blew off part of his arm by guns or a grenade and then they took him captive."
"He must be in dire need of medical care," Visotzky said.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., also spoke at the meeting. "Let us be clear, there's absolutely no place for this evil in the world. No justification, no excuse," she said. "Know that the United States, working closely with our Israeli partners, is doing everything we can to secure the release of all hostages."
The meeting ended with "Hatikva," Israel's national anthem, performed by Israeli singer Noa Kirel.
- In:
- Hamas
- Israel
- United Nations
Pamela Falk is the CBS News correspondent covering the United Nations, and an international lawyer.
TwitterveryGood! (2467)
Related
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Pregnant Ciara Decorates Her Baby Bump in Gold Glitter at The Color Purple Premiere
- Hundreds of Slovaks protest the new government’s plan to close prosecutors office for top crimes
- After day of rest at climate summit, COP28 negotiators turn back to fossil fuels
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- Tarte Cosmetics 24-Hour Flash Deal, Get $212 Worth of Makeup for Just $60
- How Andrew Garfield Really Feels About Fans Favoring Other Spider-Mans
- Is Vicki Gunvalson Returning for Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18? She Says...
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Saudi Royal Air Force F-15SA fighter jet crashes, killing 2 crew members aboard
Ranking
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Russian hackers accused of targeting U.S. intelligence community with spear phishing campaign
- Judge allows emergency abortion in Texas in first case of its kind since before Roe v. Wade
- House censures Rep. Jamaal Bowman for falsely pulling fire alarm
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- How The Beatles and John Lennon helped inspire my father's journey from India to New York
- Vermont panel decertifies sheriff charged with assault for kicking shackled prisoner
- Indiana judge rules in favor of US Senate candidate seeking GOP nomination
Recommendation
Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
McDonald's plans to open roughly 10,000 new locations, with 50,000 worldwide by 2027
'Anselm' documentary is a thrilling portrait of an artist at work
Von Miller declines to comment on domestic assault allegations after returning to Bills practice
The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
Key events in Vladimir Putin’s more than two decades in power in Russia
Pregnant Ciara Decorates Her Baby Bump in Gold Glitter at The Color Purple Premiere
Hunter Biden indicted on nine tax charges, adding to gun charges in special counsel probe