Every Sunday, since more than a year, members of the Jewish community of Belgium and supporters gather to march in the streets of Brussels to express their solidarity with the families of hostages still held in Gaza.
Bearing signs with photos of the hostages, they don’t stop shouting ‘’Free all the hostages now,’’ hoping to attract the hearing and solidarity of the authorities and the population.
But this Sunday, they gathered in front of the Israeli embassy with tears in the eyes for Shiri Bibas and her two children, baby Kfir and ‘4 year old Ariel, as well as 83 year old Oded Lifshitz, who have been brutally murdered by their captors.
‘’Today we needed to share a suffering with all the people of Israel and the Jewish community of Belgium. It was important to pay tribute to the Bibas family whose members were brutally murdered during their captivity. We want to denounce the ignominy. We are here to share our suffering,’’ said Yves Oschinsky, president of CCOJB, the coordination committee of Belgian Jewish organizations, one of the organizers of Sunday’s rally, together with BringthemHomeNow#Belgium group and the Forum of Jewish organizations in Antwerp.
‘’There are also people from outside the community who come to mark their support. One woman even brought flowers to the Israeli ambassador. It’s very important that this support goes beyond the community and that we feel less isolated,’’ Oschinsky said.
Baroness Regina Sluzny, President of the Forum in Antwerp and a Holocaust survivor: ‘’For me this week has been very moving because as a child I survived the Holocaust, and when I see this baby who has been massacred, for me it’s a horror. It’s not normal for the world not to react. There are a lot of people outside the community who support us, but it’s not enough. We need everyone to wake up before it’s too late. We must immediately free all the hostages who are still being held in Gaza in horrible conditions. For 80 years, I don’t think the world has understood anything. You don’t read about it in the newspapers, you don’t hear about it on TV…..’’
”This is a very difficult Sunday and a terrible week, with emotions divided between the coffins coming home and the immense joy of the families of hostages who have been released,’’ said Odille Margaux, representative of BringThemhomeNow#Belgium. ‘’ It was important to gather here at the embassy and show that while they are trying to divide us, we remain united in demanding the release of all hostages.’’
At the end of the ceremony, which saw Israel’s ambassasor to Belgium Idit Rosenzweig-Abu thank the participants, the Belgian and Israeli national anthems were played before the release of dozens of yellow balloons into the sky.
During the night of Saturday to Sunday, like more than hundred Israeli representations in the world, the embassy in Brussels was lit on orange. ‘’ We bow our heads and remember Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, of blessed memory.’’