The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations released a statement on Monday, marking 18 months since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023—“the darkest day in Israel’s modern history.”
“Eighteen months later, the trauma of that day remains seared into the Jewish soul,” the statement read. “And yet, the deepest pain is not in the past—it continues in the present, in the tunnels of Gaza, where dozens of Israeli hostages remain in Hamas captivity, held in cruel and inhumane conditions, in violation of every principle of international law and human decency.”
The statement then addressed recent testimonies by former hostages highlighting their time in captivity, recounting incidents of starvation, beating and sexual assault.
“This is not just Israel’s pain. This is a moral outrage for the entire world,” it stated, calling on the international community to demand the release of the hostages, both dead and alive, still in Hamas captivity.
“As we approach Pesach, Yom HaShoah and Yom HaZikaron, we draw strength from the resilience of the Jewish people and from our sacred obligation to protect every Jewish life,” the statement concluded. “The cries of our brothers and sisters still call out to us. And we will answer.”
