SACRAMENTO, California — Emotions ran high on the steps of the California state capitol building Monday, where dozens of people gathered to demand Hamas release the hostages taken during its Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel.
“There is absolutely no justification of any person in this world, holding these hostages, and they must be released immediately,” said Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis.
The passionate crowd held up signs showing the faces of the missing.
Among them was a photo of 59-year-old Yair Yaakov. His cousin, Sacramento-based lobbyist Ryan Pessah, spoke out to the crowd, calling it a nightmare he’s just waiting to wake up from.
“Every day, I wake up hoping that this will be the day that they’re free, and every night, I go to sleep praying for their rescue and their safe return,” Pessah said of his cousin, who he described as a kind, fun-loving person.
Yaakov was living with his sons and girlfriend in the Kibbutz of Nir Oz, one of the dozens of communities stormed by Hamas militants.
The four of them haven’t been seen in 16 days, and the family believes that they are among the more than 200 hostages taken by Hamas.
Pessah said family members received a video from Hamas confirming his cousin’s family’s capture.
Nir Oz was also the home of the two hostages Hamas freed on Monday, 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz and 79-year-old Nurit Cooper. Their husbands, ages 83 and 84, were not released.
In the meantime, Pessah and the others in the crowd are calling upon prayers and song to deliver their loved ones back home safely.
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