A weeklong Israeli Consulate in New York digital billboard campaign displayed in Times Square tells of “700 days of hell” for hostages whom Hamas has held hostage in Gaza since Oct. 7.
“This attack, that was perpetrated by Hamas, was one of the most heinous acts of evil in human history since the Holocaust,” stated Ofir Akunis, consul general of Israel in New York.
“No human being with a conscience can remain unmoved in the face of such atrocities that took place that day,” he stated. “The slaughter of innocents, the burning of entire families alive, acts of sexual violence, the brutal beheadings and mutilations and the kidnapping of hundreds of innocent people were carried out by the terrorists who infiltrated Israel from Gaza 700 days ago.”
Akunis added that freeing the 48 hostages and removing Hamas from Gaza completely “are the necessary conditions for ending this war.”
“Only then can the process of rebuilding the Gaza Strip begin,” he said. “We must be clear. Those who choose to criticize or condemn Israel for defending ourselves, whether knowingly or not, are serving as enablers of Hamas.”
NYC moves fast, but some truths demand we stop.
— Israel in New York (@IsraelinNewYork) September 5, 2025
For 700 agonizing days, 48 hostages have been trapped in Hamas’ tunnels in Gaza, frozen in time.
Their faces in Times Square remind the world: they MUST come home NOW.
Consul General @Ofir_Akunis said: “Today marks 700 days since… pic.twitter.com/xpyx108RyY
