Hostage Families Appeal for Help at UN Human Rights Council Over Hamas Captives

The families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza made a heart-wrenching appeal to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) this week, urging for immediate action to secure the release of their loved ones. After nearly a year of captivity, 101 hostages, including women, children, and the elderly, remain trapped in Gaza under dire conditions.

Amit Levy was among those who testified, detailing the horrifying ordeal of his 20-year-old sister, Naama Levy, who was abducted in a viral video that shocked the world. “She is held without access to food, water, hygiene, or the personal freedoms she once had,” Levy said, recounting the brutal conditions Naama faces. His family fears she has not received adequate medical attention for her injuries, which include wounds from a grenade.

Levy’s testimony came alongside other emotional stories. Shay Dickmann spoke about the devastation her family suffered during a Hamas attack on Kibbutz Be’eri, which claimed the life of her 68-year-old mother and resulted in the abduction of her daughter, Carmel Gat. “Carmel endured hunger in the tunnels, guarded by terrorists, and survived 328 days, until she was brutally executed by her captors,” Dickmann shared, bringing the horrors of Hamas’s hostage practices into sharp focus.

Efrat Machikawa made a desperate plea for the return of her 80-year-old uncle, Gadi Moses, a peace activist kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Moses, who worked for decades to improve the lives of Palestinians, is now held captive by the very people he once sought to help. “For 60 years, Gadi has worked to save and improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide,” Machikawa said. “The fact that he has now become a victim of terror from across the very fence he worked to bridge is beyond comprehension.”

The UNHRC session brought global attention to the plight of these hostages, who endure unimaginable conditions. “101 hostages both dead and alive are still being held in Gaza under outrageous conditions: deprived of food, basic hygiene, medicine, daylight, and any hope,” said Diana Levinson, whose grandson, Shay Levinson, was murdered by Hamas. She emphasized the urgency of international action, pleading, “I urge this Council to take action to help us bring the hostages home while there is still time.”

Critics have long accused the UNHRC of allowing countries with poor human rights records, such as China and Cuba, to dominate its membership, undermining its credibility. As families continue to demand action, the international community’s silence on Hamas’s brutality grows more deafening.

These testimonies serve as a reminder of the human cost of inaction, and the world is watching to see if the UNHRC will step up to the challenge and confront this ongoing humanitarian crisis.

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