Meanwhile, a Massachusetts man whose relatives were taken hostage by Hamas militants is still waiting for those family members to be returned to Israel.
A number of pro-Palestine demonstrators gathered in Salem, Massachusetts, to call for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza as Hamas and Israel continue to exchange hostages amid their four-day truce deal.
Organizers of the protest held what they called a “die-in,” as people lay down to represent the thousands who have died in Gaza. The demonstrators brought caskets and used red paint to symbolize the death and bloodshed caused by the war.
“It’s real people, real children, and we need to think of it that way,” said Fawaz Abusharkh, spokesperson for the Palestinian House of New England. “We need to push for a permanent cease-fire.”
Needham resident Jason Greenberg, who has family members who are still being held hostage by Hamas, said they support the First Amendment rights of pro-Palestine demonstrators but they want the focus to be on the terrorist group for its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
“I want to keep this top of mind for people because I see the rise in antisemitism and, really, the insulting toward people that are being held hostage and have been for over seven weeks,” Greenberg said.
Greenberg said five of his relatives were abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7. Two of those relatives, 80-year-old Carmela Dan and her 13-year-old granddaughter, Noya Dan, were killed.
