A group of advocates yesterday staged an installation art exhibition in Taipei’s 228 Peace Memorial Park to raise awareness of the more than 200 hostages taken during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Avital Friedman, the chief organizer of the “Bring Them Home” exhibition, said that the 50 pairs of shoes and balloons laid out alongside photographs of those kidnapped by Hamas aimed to “raise awareness of the fact that there are still over 240 civilians [held] as hostages in Gaza.”
Friedman, a 29-year-old student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on a four-month exchange in Taipei, said that “Israelis and non-Israelis” were abducted, including people from Thailand, Nepal and other Asian countries.
Photo: Chiang Ying-ying, AP
The shoes and balloons symbolized the hostages, which included more than 30 children, one of whom, a four-year-old girl, witnessed the murder of her parents before she was abducted, Friedman said.
“Our goal is to have everyone around the world understand what’s going on, so that there could be pressure to release them,” she said.
Although originally unaware of the history behind the 228 Peace Memorial Park, which commemorates the 1947 massacre of civilians by the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime, Friedman said the park’s “deeply meaningful” name made it a fitting site for the exhibition.
“Because in the end, Israelis, what we want is peace.” she said, adding that Israelis want Jews and Arabs to peacefully coexist.
Friedman said that while she was planning to hold similar exhibitions elsewhere in Taiwan, she hoped Hamas would free the hostages soon and make the events unnecessary.
Qatar-brokered talks are ongoing regarding a prisoner swap, with Hamas reportedly demanding the release of several thousand Palestinians detained by Israel, according to foreign media reports.
Following the Oct. 7 attack, the Israeli government reported that 1,400 people were killed, while 5,240 were injured.
Israel has responded with continuous airstrikes on Gaza.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza last week said that more than 10,000 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since Oct. 7, including more than 4,000 children.
Meanwhile, the Taipei Grand Mosque organized a charity sale on Oct. 21 and 22 to raise awareness and collect funds for Palestinians affected by the conflict. About 200 people attended to show their support.
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