The Jewish community held an event in repudiation of the murder of the Bibas family and the AMIA criticized "the silence of the cowards"

The Jewish community in Argentina and the Israeli Embassy held an event on Monday to demand the release of the hostages still held by Hamas, following the October 7, 2023 attack in the Gaza Strip. The rally was also marked by grief following the confirmation of the murder of the Argentine Bibas family , whose bodies were handed over to the Israeli authorities in recent days.

The meeting, which began at around 6:30 p.m., took place at the headquarters of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA), located on Estado de Israel Avenue 4100, in the City of Buenos Aires. Community leaders, victims' families, officials and political figures participated in the meeting. Among those attending were the Israeli ambassador to Argentina, Eyal Sela , the Buenos Aires Minister of Security, Waldo Wolff , as well as the presidents of AMIA, Amos Linetzky ; the Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations (DAIA), Mauro Berenstein , and the Argentine Zionist Organization (OSA), Demian Stratievsky .

The ceremony took place just days after the bodies of Kfir and Ariel Bibas , along with that of Oded Lifshitz , arrived in Israel. Initially, it was believed that the body of Shiri Bibas , the children's mother, had also been received, but this was later confirmed not to be the case. Her body was later handed over by Hamas and the family announced that the funeral would take place on Wednesday.

During the ceremony in Buenos Aires, candles were lit in memory of the murdered hostages and the color orange was chosen as a tribute to the Bibas family because of their characteristic red hair. Those attending wore clothing or objects in that shade, which was also present in the lighting of various public buildings. "Today, this color is a symbol of unity for the demand for the release of all the kidnapped people," said AMIA.

Israel's ambassador to Argentina, Eyal Sela , spoke to reporters before the event and welcomed the presence of "thousands of people who came to shout alongside us for the release of the 63 hostages still held by Hamas." "Today we are here to remember the Bibas family , who were brutally murdered ," he added emotionally.

During his speech, he assured that since October 7, 2023, they have maintained "the same hope of seeing" the hostages again. "Hamas is to blame for this," stressed the diplomat, who also assured that "Nazism was the evil of the last century and radical Islam is that of this one ." In addition, he thanked President Javier Milei for the decree that declared two days of National Mourning, while he appreciated that Jorge Macri and various governors decided to illuminate their public buildings in orange.

For his part, the president of AMIA, Amos Linetzky , said: "We still find it difficult to digest and accept the pogrom of October 7. We appreciate the solidarity of President Javier Milei and the head of the Buenos Aires government, Jorge Macri, for declaring two days of mourning ." In turn, he criticized "the silence of the cowards who choose to remain silent in the face of fundamentalist hatred."

The head of DAIA, Mauro Berenstein , and the president of OSA, Demian Stratievsky , also addressed those present, reinforcing the request for justice and the demand for the immediate release of the hostages. Meanwhile, journalist Alfredo Leuco was in charge of opening the event and stressed that "Nazism has returned disguised as extreme Islamism." Then, the rabbi of AMIA, Eliahu Hamra , led a prayer in memory of the victims, while relatives of hostages and those killed in the offensive lit candles in their honor.

The event concluded with the singing of the Argentine National Anthem and Hatikva, the Israeli anthem. The central themes of the event were the commemoration of the victims and the demand for the urgent release of those kidnapped by the terrorist organization.

In parallel, AMIA reiterated its request through social media: " They have been kidnapped for more than 500 days , suffering the worst atrocities . Every minute they spend in the hands of Hamas can be the difference between life and death." "Those of us who defend the value of life and denounce terrorism raise our voices to demand the RELEASE OF ALL KIDNAPPED PEOPLE NOW," they concluded.

MB/ML