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Middle East conflict

Protesters near UN headquarters demand organization help free Hamas hostages

This is at least the third such demonstration in front of the UN in the past month

UNITED NATIONS, November 7. /TASS/. Nearly 100 people have gathered at a protest outside UN headquarters in New York to demand the organization help free the Israeli citizens being held hostage by the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, a TASS correspondent reports.

Those gathered are dressed all in black, blindfolded and sitting on the pavement with their heads down and hands behind their backs, including children, women and the elderly. They sing pacifist songs, including Imagine by John Lennon.

The demonstrators' posters show pictures of the hostages. "This could be your son," "This could be your wife," they wrote under the images. People brought Israeli flags and banners with the words, "Time is running out," "Free them," and "Violence."

The largest poster unfurled by those gathered addressed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "Secretary General Guterres, what would you do if [Hamas militants] kidnapped your loved ones?" the protesters asked.

This is at least the third such demonstration in front of the UN in the past month.

The UN Secretary General, speaking to journalists on November 6, reiterated his support for Hamas' immediate release of hostages without preconditions. He said that nothing can justify the torture, killing and kidnapping of civilians. In his view, the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has become a crisis for all humanity.

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