(Dec. 18, 2024 / JNS)
Michael Levy, whose brother, Or Levy, was kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova festival on Oct. 7, 2023, addressed the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday and told the global body to demand the release of the hostages.
“For 439 days, I’ve woken up every morning with a pit in my stomach, wondering where my brother is. Wondering if he’s cold. If he’s hungry. If he managed to survive another day,” Levy told the Security Council. “Every moment he remains in captivity is a moment of unbearable suffering for him and all of us who love him.”
The Hamas terror group didn’t only violate international law blatantly, he said, it is also committing “an assault on humanity itself.”
“Holding civilians hostage—men, women, children—is a violation of the principle that this very council was created to protect, and yet your silence is deafening,” he said. “For every day this council fails to act, the message to the world is clear, that some lives are worth saving and others are not.”
“I’m asking you to prove that international law means something, that human rights are not just votes, but principles,” he added. “Demand the release of all of the hostages today.” 024
Wednesday’s briefing marked the first time that the Security Council heard directly from a relative of a hostage being held in Gaza, according to the Hostage and Missing Families Forum.
“I hope some of the members of the Security Council learn from Michael’s courage in condemning the crimes against humanity carried out by Hamas and pushing for a hostage deal that ensures that a ceasefire is unconditionally contingent on the release of our hostages still held in Hamas terror tunnels,” Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, told JNS.
Danon told the Security Council that now is the time to act.
“The Middle East does not look the same,” he told the council. “We continue to dismantle Hamas and eliminate any threat from them. And Hezbollah is no longer the same cruel and dangerous organization that it was.”
Danon added in his remarks that Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria has fallen. “This is an extraordinary opportunity for the council and the world to prevent a nuclear Iran and define the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization,” he said.
The Israeli envoy encouraged the people of Iran to embrace the changing landscape in the region as an opportunity for regime change. “We know the cost of freedom and the courage it demands,” he said. “Your fight is not just for yourselves, but for the millions of lives the regime has destabilized and destroyed.”
“In your hands lies the power to rebuild a land rich in history, culture and resilience,” he added.
Danon said that Israel is hopeful that it can soon achieve a hostage deal with Hamas.
“I hope today will finally wake every member of the council to the urgent plight of the hostages and compel all nations to demand their immediate and unconditional release,” he said. “Negotiations on a hostage deal are ongoing, and we hope we can achieve a deal, after many rejections by Hamas, before the holiday of Chanukah and Christmas.”
In his remarks before the Security Council, Danon addressed the Iranian people directly in Farsi. “People of Iran, do not miss this rare historic opportunity,” he said. “Do not wait for a miracle. Do not hesitate.” He added that “the future of Iran is in your hands” and that “the people of Israel stand by your side.”
U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters on Tuesday on Marine One, before departing from the White House, that he had spoken and will speak in the future with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Danon told reporters before the Security Council meeting that Hamas is the primary obstacle to achieving a deal.
“Because of the experience we have with Hamas, I cannot be confident, because in the past we thought we had an agreement and then they came up with new demands,” he said. “We are not negotiating with a state actor that you can negotiate with and expect a timeline. They are still a terrorist organization.”
Republished with Permission
