In memory of the victims of the Hamas attack in the center of Vilnius – an installation for hundreds of abductees

Some of these people’s photos are attached to the balloons, and videos sent by their relatives are shown on a screen installed by the river.

“Today is exactly one month since 242 civilians were abducted from Israel, including babies, children, men, women, elderly people. This installation presents different age groups: wheelchairs – children, chairs – men, women, wheelchairs – elderly people”, Liana Jagniatinsky, one of the organizers of the campaign, told BNS.

“We really hope they get home to their loved ones,” she added.

On October 7, the Palestinian group “Hamas” invaded Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing at least 1.4 thousand people. people, mostly civilians, and took nearly two and a half hundred hostages. In response to the attack, the Jewish state launched a bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip and is preparing ground operations.

According to L. Jagniatinsky, the purpose of this action is to express solidarity with the relatives of the kidnapped.

“They are going through a very difficult tragedy,” said one of the organizers of the action. “We also want to draw the public’s attention to the fact that such things are happening.”

VIDEO: In memory of the victims abducted by Hamas terrorists from Israel – an action at the White Bridge

The Jewish community of Vilnius and the Israeli company Wix, which has a branch in Vilnius, contributed to the campaign.

“Our goal is not to let people forget that the abducted people are still being kept in some basements and we demand their immediate release,” community leader Aleksandar Chernov told BNS.

“We pray that they all return home safely,” he added.

Yarden Vinitski, a 31-year-old Israeli who came to Lithuania to work for a few weeks at that time, said that the attack that happened a month ago was particularly painful.

She said that both the relatives and all Israelis suffer from the uncertainty of the condition of the abductees.

“Every minute they spend in captivity is very painful. We don’t know if they are fed, if they can wash, we don’t know if the children are allowed to cry or play,” said a woman who works as a project manager.

According to her, the least the community can do is to organize such actions that express support for the hostages’ relatives.

“We want to support all these families, but we ourselves feel like family members of all these hostages,” – Y. Vinitski.

Israel’s Ambassador to Lithuania Hadas Wittenberg Silverstein also participated in the campaign.

She told BNS that the kidnapped must be released immediately, and the world must understand that the war is not with the Palestinians, but with Hamas.

“Sometimes there are misunderstandings. We are at war against Hamas, not the Palestinians. Unfortunately, this war is taking place in the Gaza Strip, which is a very densely populated area. Sometimes there is pressure and calls for a cease-fire without understanding that this is the only means for Israel to ensure that those people return home and that this does not happen again,” the diplomat said.

The heads of all major United Nations agencies issued a rare joint statement on Monday expressing outrage at the number of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and calling for an immediate humanitarian pause.

The Health Ministry of the Gaza Strip, controlled by the group “Hamas”, reported that almost 10,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Palestinian territory since the start of the war with Israel. people, mostly civilians.