SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — 6 months after the Hamas attack in Gaza, emotions remain difficult for the local Jewish and Palestinian communities.
A group of over 150 people gathered to demand the release of more than 130 hostages abducted by Hamas at Balboa Park Sunday morning.
“Bring them home. Bring them home, now," they said.
All those who attended were wearing photos of hostages and the number 184. It's been 184 days since the hostages were taken. Among the group was Carmel Valley resident Rotem Cooper.
“It’s definitely a show of solidarity. People feel that they want to do something,” said Cooper. His elderly parents were kidnapped from their home.
His mother has since been released, while his father was last seen in a Hamas propaganda video in December.
"He lost a lot of weight. He had a very sad look in his eyes, very detached … hits you emotionally very hard … We can't bear it anymore, knowing the level of suffering that is going over there. I don't even know if my father is still alive," said Cooper.
For Vista resident Ruba Almasi, it’s a mix of different emotions.
She told ABC 10News in December about her two sisters, nieces, and nephews in Gaza, who suffered through constant bombing with little food or clean water.
Abc 10News viewers contributed to her campaign to raise money to pay for pricey exit fees.
More than a week ago, the last of her 14 family members crossed the border into Egypt.
“I feel relieved. My family is safe. They’re out of the war zone. They have food. They’re warm. They’re not in plastic tents,” said Almasri.
While her family is safe, many of her friends remain in Gaza. "It's extremely sad … The suffering of the people I see every single day. This keeps me up at night,” said Almasri.
Read more: Biden pushes Qatar, Egypt to urge Hamas to form Israeli hostage truce
Back in Balboa Park, it is the suffering of hostages that is foremost in these minds.
“We are standing strong and continuing to hope,” said Barrett Holman Leak, a member of Temple Emanu-El San Diego.
Cooper and others at the gathering called on Israeli leaders to put aside politics and strike a deal to release the hostages.
“We want the hostages home returned. Bring then home, now,” said Holman Leak, one of the participants.
