On Wednesday evening, students tied hundreds of yellow ribbons to benches, trees, bicycle racks and fences across Strand campus, in support of the hostages held in Gaza. The action was taken by independent students, unaffiliated with any society.
The ribbons symbolise the campaign for the return of hostages held by Hamas since its incursion into Israeli territory on 7 October 2023, aiming to maintain public focus on the hostages currently being held and remember those who died in captivity.
On 7 October 2023, Hamas led an attack on Israeli territory, during which some 1,200 were killed and 250 hostages were taken to Gaza, according to Israeli figures. The attacks by Hamas triggered a war with Israel, in which over 48,000 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 11,300 children, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
At the start of February yellow ribbons appeared on six other university campuses around the country, in support of the hostages in Gaza.
A senior committee member of KCL Jewish Society said:
“It’s a comfort – so people understand when they walk and see this, that there are other people who think the same way as them. It’s nice to see. It’s refreshing.”
One week previously, ribbons were tied to the fence surrounding St Mary le Strand church, however they were removed by other students.
In relation to the ribbons being removed a senior committee member of KCL Jewish Society commented:
“No matter how many times ignorant people continue to rip them down, they will reappear and be put up again. Although these people have diverging views, it will not stop us from showing support to a cause many many people believe in.”
The ribbons were installed the day before the remains of four hostages were returned to Israel on Thursday, representing the first time the remains of hostages have been returned since the ceasefire. In 2023, Hamas claimed Oded Lifshitz, a peace activist and Shiri Bibas along with her two children were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel rejects this claim, and forensic examination after the Bibas family bodies were returned to Israel revealed no indication of injuries by bombing.
It was later discovered the returned remains were not Bibas, but those of a Palestinian woman. Bibas’ remains have since been returned and authenticated.
Six more hostages were released on Saturday, in exchange for more than 600 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, as part of the ceasefire agreement.
By Friday, the ribbons had been taken down from most of the campus and were only seen on the trees.
Article edited on 14 March to include Israel’s rejection of Hamas’ claim that Shiri Bibas and her children were killed by an airstrike, following a medical examination of their bodies.
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