Yehuda Cohen (right) with his sons Nimrod (left) and Yotam (center). INTERVIEW | Israeli hostage’s father calls for end to war and two states Peace and Security
Two years after his son was taken hostage in a Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, Yehuda Cohen continues to tirelessly fight for his release and for a lasting political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
On October 7, 2023, Corporal Nimrod Cohen was guarding an area near Kibbutz Nirim, near the Gaza border, when his tank malfunctioned. Nimrod was captured and his comrades in the unit were killed. His father received reliable information, including from some of the released hostages, that his son was still alive and in Gaza. He was last seen in the Khan Yunis area.
“An ordinary boy”
“Nimrod is an ordinary boy” – Yehuda said in an interview with UN News Service.
“We talk about Nimrod not because he is a rock star, a pop star or a sports star. “He’s an ordinary guy who did his duty for his country and served in the army, and he had bad luck,” he adds.
The attackers killed more than 1,250 Israelis and foreign citizens. More than 250 people were taken hostage, including women, children and the elderly. Eyewitnesses to the events of October 7 spoke of rape, sexual torture and inhumane treatment.
“The Hamas attack was not carried out with the goal of liberating any territories or to do something for the benefit of the Palestinian people. It was a heinous attack designed to break the morale of the Israelis,” Cohen said.
After the incident, Yehuda, his wife Vicki and son Yotam joined the families of other hostages. They called on international leaders to put pressure on Hamas and the Israeli government to agree to a ceasefire and the release of hostages. The Cohen family met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other senior UN officials in New York and Geneva. The families of the hostages also reached out to countries such as France and the United States.
Two-State Solution
Cohen stated that it was a constant struggle: marches, rallies, demonstrations on the streets of Israel, speeches in local and international media. All in order to reach world leaders and tell them that “pressure needs to be put on both sides” of the conflict – the Israeli government and the militants. Middle East.
Israelis and Palestinians alike desire a normal life, which is at odds with the extremist views of some members of the Israeli government or Hamas, he added.
“We want to live a normal life life side by side, and the only way to achieve this is to reach an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, so that in the future we can say “Israel and Palestine”; it is a two-state solution. There is no other way,” Cohen added.