Mansour Abbas meets with families of hostages, delivers letter to Emir of Qatar calling for release

Published: NOVEMBER 21, 2023 02:44

Updated: NOVEMBER 21, 2023 09:34

Ra'am Party head MK Mansour Abbas attends a conference of Israel Hayom newspaper in Jerusalem, September 6, 2023. (photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90) — Ra'am Party head MK Mansour Abbas attends a conference of Israel Hayom newspaper in Jerusalem, September 6, 2023.

(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

The parents, speaking of captive children, say it's "not about fighting terrorism. It's not about the war or the conflict, it's not about politics," but "our shared humanity at its very core."

MK Mansour Abbas, leader of the Arab Islamist Ra'am Party, met with families of some of those held hostage in Gaza. He received a petition of Nobel laureates from them and a legal document signed by legal experts calling for the immediate release of the more than 30 captive children. Attached with the petition and the legal document was a letter from the families.

The letter, signed "Families of abducted children in Gaza," speaks about the more than 30 children who were abducted into the southwestern coastal enclave on October 7. "These children are our own," the parents say, "as vulnerable as a 9-month-old baby, a 3-year-old girl, an 8-year-old boy, in dire circumstances.

"This letter is not about fighting terrorism," they said. "It's not about the war or the conflict, it's not about politics. It is about our shared humanity at its very core."

Abbas said that he delivered the materials to the Emir of Qatar, to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, and to US President Joe Biden.

Families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas militants in Gaza set a Shabbat table with more than 200 empty seats for the hostages, at the ''Hostages Square'', outside the Art Museum of Tel Aviv, October 20, 2023. (credit: GILI YAARI /FLASH90)

Abbas: Islam cannot accept this situation

At the meeting, Abbas expressed his sorrow and said that he shared in the families' pain. He added that all citizens of Israel, Jewish and Arab, must take care to be inclusive and understanding in order to protect their shared future.

At the end of the meeting, Abbas vowed to take action. "Children are not part of war and they must not be held captive for one day," he said. "A two-year-old child is not a bargaining chip and is not part of the deal. Islam cannot accept this situation, and we will do everything possible to help the families and bring the children home."