Mom of 23-year-old hostage pleads for help: We can only beat evil together

Meirav Leshem Gonen, whose daughter Romi, 23, has been held captive by Hamas for over 130 days, urged compassionate individuals worldwide to unite in freeing Israel's innocent civilians from Gaza, thus fostering a better world for all.

"I see how people understand their role and responsibility to make sure this world will be a better place, a brighter place," Leshem Gonen told a room of more than 200 Germans and Israelis on Wednesday. "It is a bigger and bigger circle of people and nations that are coming to help not for Israel, but for the good people, for the light.

"We know that the light is bigger together, and then we can fight and defeat evil."

Leshem Gonen traveled to Berlin for "Joint Perspectives: A German-Israeli Summit," organized by The Jerusalem Post, and WELT, a part of Axel Springer SE. Awz Ventures sponsored her trip. 

While in Berlin, she met with Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohammed Al-Thani, the Qatari ambassador to Germany, and spoke onstage, sharing her story with influential figures such as ministers, diplomats, politicians, and other key individuals who can aid in securing her daughter's release.

On October 7, Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel, murdered more than 1,200 people, and kidnapped 253 others. Since then, around 150 have been released or found dead. Romi remains in the grips of Hamas, and no one has had communication with her.

Romi is the third of Leshem Gonen's children. Her mother described her as a dancer, a leader, and a young woman with a large social circle. 

October 7 for the Leshem Gonen family

Through tears, Leshem Gonen recalled that fateful morning. 

On October 7, Romi and her best friend decided to attend the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im. They arrived at 4:38 a.m. Two hours later, "the nightmare began."

"She called me terrified," Leshem Gonen recalled. "She said, 'Mommy, there are rockets. I don't know what to do.'"

Leshem Gonen was in her home in Central Israel when Romi called. Romi and some friends jumped into a car to try to escape, but then the shooting started, and people were running and screaming all around them. They were told to get out of the car, or they would be killed. The group ran to hide in a ditch and then behind a bush.

"She sent me a message saying, 'Mommy, I cannot talk because they can hear me,'" said Leshem Gonen. "This is something we read in Holocaust books."

While Romi hid, her mother tried to call the police and find help. But no one answered. They thought they had found another ride out of the area at one point, but then Romi called again at 10:14 a.m. The call began with these words: "Mommy, I was shot. I'm bleeding, and I think I am going to die."

From that moment and 45 minutes after that, Leshem Gonen stayed on the phone with her daughter.

"I felt so helpless," Leshem Gonen said, choking on her tears. "I understood that I couldn't help her and that if she were going to die … at least she would hear my voice and know that I love her, that we love her, and that she was not alone."

While Leshem Gonen attempted to comfort her daughter, the sound of gunshots continuously pierced the air. Men shouted in Arabic above Romi's head until the line went dead.

Later, Leshem Gonen learned that they dragged Romi out of the car by her hair, "dragging her on the floor as if she was a dog." When Romi came to, "they punched her in the face" to knock her out again. 

Leshem Gonen has shared her story many times. She does it with the most intense pain on her face. She does not want to think of what her daughter is enduring daily in Gaza. Instead, she puts her fears aside, she said, because "my daughter needs me to be strong. She needs me to be full of energy to work and ensure she's getting out."

Leshem Gonen also believes that Israel must use all of its options to get its citizens out of Gaza -- military and diplomatic. She trusts that the IDF has the hostages in mind. 

But Leshem Gonen also called on the rest of the world to join in the fight because she said that terrorism is not just a problem for Israel but everyone. 

"I am sure that it will only be possible to beat evil … by joining together," Leshem Gonen again stressed. "As I said, the light is bigger when we are together."

She continued: "I know that the ambassador from Qatar is here and all our friends in Germany. And I want to say thank you for taking responsibility, not just for Israel, but taking responsibility for the whole world, to make sure it is a better place for my daughter, my kids, and your kids, for the next generations."

The terror will not stop in Israel, Leshem Gonen assured. 

"Our beloved ones that are still held by those Hamas, by those terrorists, by those rapists and murderers – when they come back, this will be one of the signs that we are a better and improved society."