Hundreds rally outside UN's Palais des Nations in Geneva, demand release of kidnapped Israelis

Hundreds of people gathered at the UN’s Palais des Nations in Geneva on Monday, demanding international intervention on behalf of the hostages taken by Hamas during its terrorist attack on October 7.

Led by the Voice for Freedom coalition, a network of Christian Zionist groups, the demonstrators raised Israeli flags and held up images of the abducted Israelis, including the children.

Doris Liber, the mother of Guy Itzhak Iluz, who was taken hostage during the Supernova music festival on October 7, shared her harrowing experience.

“I’ll never forget that terrible morning,” she said. “I woke up to a siren, a sound we’ve become all too familiar with in Israel. When I finally heard from Guy, he sounded frantic, saying he was coming home to eat. I eagerly awaited his arrival. But then, the horrifying call from his father: Guy was caught in a terror attack.”

“Guy was shot,” she added. “He managed to make a desperate 911 call, where he wanted to say his final words to us. We could hear gunshots and voices in Arabic. It was his father who told him to act dead, to remain silent.”

'Please do something.'

“We need action,” Liber said. “I implore everyone who can make a difference: Please do something.”

Rev. Johnnie Moore said: “We’ve come to Geneva with the hope that promises made by world leaders about human rights would be fulfilled. Yet, we witness such unspeakable horrors.”

He emphasized the need for international action and cooperation.

Moore expressed despair over the state of global media, the actions of the EU, and the UN Human Rights Council’s conduct.

In London, about 20,000 people rallied in Trafalgar Square on Sunday to demand the release of the hostages. Waving the Israeli flag, several participants wept as the names of hostages were read out.

Ayelet Svtizky described how Hamas had entered her mother’s home as she was speaking on the phone with her.

“A few minutes later, Hamas sent me two pictures of my mum and my brother sitting in my mum’s living room,” she said. “The third picture they uploaded to my mum’s Facebook story with a Hamas gunman in the background, and that’s the last I heard of them.”

“My message is [that] these atrocities should never be forgotten,” Svtizky said. “The hostages should be brought home now.”

The rally followed a pro-Palestinian demonstration on Saturday in which an estimated 100,000 people marched through the center of London.

London’s Metropolitan Police said two people had been arrested for shouting abusive remarks at people who took part in Sunday’s vigil.