ISRAEL – Noemi Di Segni (UCEI): “We grieve the murder of the six hostages. This is the time for unity and solidarity”

“A heartbreaking pain compounded by the shock and anguish that has exhausted us since October 7, as we grapple with the brutal murder of over 1,200 Israeli citizens by Hamas terrorists and the 247 hostages (including 30 children) held in inhumane conditions in Gaza tunnels. The discovery of six more hostages brutally murdered just hours before being found further confirms the barbarity of Hamas, which is condoned by some, even in Italy and international institutions, through the distortion and misuse of religious and state concepts.
It is precisely what the terrorists want to see when Italian media, institutions, and academics continue to deny the reality of rape, torture, and abuse. We stand in respectful solidarity with the families of Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersch Goldberg-Pollin, Alexander Lubnov, Almog Sarousi, and Sergeant Uri Danino. We also express our closeness to the families of the three policemen—Arik Ben Elyahu, Hadas Barnez, and Roni Shkori—who were murdered on Monday in an attack in Judea near Tarkumia. This pain is felt by the entire state and the people of Israel as a whole.
This is the time for unity and cohesion, to make clear who Hamas is and the threats it poses. This is the only message we wish to convey as representatives of the Italian Jewish Communities, understanding that any decision to negotiate involves moral dilemmas and ethical questions never before faced with such anguish and difficulty by the population, families, and political representatives.
Monday marked the first day of school in Israel: what do we teach our children after this massacre? The love for life and the desire for peace and coexistence, with a clear understanding that the enemy is those who sow hatred and denial. October 7 looms with an ever more urgent call to reclaim lives and spaces across Israeli territory.”

Noemi Di Segni, President of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities