Families of hostages hold news conference after meeting Pope at Vatican

ReutersCopyright: Reuters
We're turning our attention briefly now to Rome, where the relatives of hostages have held a news
conference after meeting Pope Francis this morning.

The sister of 19-year-old Karina Ariev, Alexandra, was among those who spoke. Karina was serving at an
Israeli army base near Gaza when she was kidnapped.

Alexandra says that "every minute, every hour, is critical" for the hostages, adding: "Every one of them
needs to come home. Not in coffins. They should come home to tell their stories, to tell the stories of the
the people who were murdered - so they can be our future."

Next comes the father of Nimrod Cohen, 19. He says of Hamas's deadly incursion into Israel on 7
October: "Our lives from that day changed. We don't have day and night - we just focus on his return and
others to Israel."

Rachel, the mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, from California, says her son hid in a roadside bomb
shelter near the Supernova music festival - along with his friends and other attendees - which came under
attack from Hamas militants.

"Most were dead, but some of the lucky ones were trapped under the dead bodies and told us what
happened", including that Hersh's left arm had been blown off from the elbow down, Rachel says.

"That was 47 days ago that my heart was buried in Gaza," she adds.

Last came a resident from Kibbutz Be'eri, whose sister Raaya Rotem, 45, and niece, Hila Rotem
Shoshani, 13, were taken into Gaza.

He last heard from Raaya at 12:05 on 7 October, adding that he has had no information since.

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