“That gave me hope”
Freed hostage calls on Israelis to demonstrate
15.06.2024, 04:42
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Images of protests in Israel give Andrey Kozlov hope as he is held hostage in the Gaza Strip. Now he is appealing to the Israeli public to support those still held captive by Hamas.
One week after his liberation from the Gaza Strip, former Hamas hostage Andrey Kozlov has called on Israelis to demonstrate for his fellow sufferers. “I am back home in Israel, but many hostages are still in the Gaza Strip,” said the 27-year-old in a video message. “I saw a lot of demonstrations on Saturday and that gave me a lot of hope. I ask you to go out on the streets again this Saturday and support the hostages and their families.” It was Kozlov’s first public statement after his return to Israel.
Israeli soldiers freed Kozlov and three other hostages from Hamas forces last Saturday during a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip. According to information from the health authority controlled by the terrorist organization – which cannot be independently verified – 274 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more injured. Kozlov and the other three hostages then vividly described the months of martyrdom they endured at the hands of their captors, who allegedly abused and tortured them mentally and physically. The mother of Almog Meir Jan, who was also among those freed, said in a press conference that her son had seen news on the Arab channel Al-Jazeera. During the coverage of the protests in Israel, he had once recognized his own image on the stage.
There have been protests for months
When Hamas and other extremist groups attacked Israel’s border area with the Gaza Strip on October 7, more than 250 people were abducted into the isolated coastal area. Around 120 hostages are currently believed to be there, although it is unclear how many of them are still alive. Kozlov is an Israeli with Russian roots. He had worked as security at the Supernova Festival.
In the Israeli coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv, numerous people regularly take to the streets on Saturdays to demonstrate for the release of the hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip. Most of the protesters are also against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which, in the view of the victims’ families, is not doing enough to bring their relatives home.