Chapel Hill couple held captive: Hostages taken by Hamas from Israel, sources confirm
A couple from Chapel Hill has been taken hostage by Hamas terrorists, according to sources.
Senator Tedd Budd said North Carolinians are among those who have been taken hostage by Hamas.
"The wound feels particularly close to the heart," said Rabbi Zalman Bluming, Chabad at Duke/UNC.
Sources told WRAL News that a couple from Chapel Hill is part of that group being held hostage.
"The shock and heartbreak is extremely real and very personal," Bluming said.
Senator Ted Budd revealed that he had a meeting with the hostages' families. He emphasized the necessity of suspending humanitarian aid to Gaza until every hostage is safely returned.
"There really is no degree of separation between America and Israel and North Carolina and Israel," said Rabbi Eric Solomon, of Beth Meyer Synagogue.
Various rabbis shared their firsthand accounts.
"Death is not an easy thing, and war is not an easy thing to stop," said Jihad Shawwa, a Palestinian-American.
A few weeks ago, WRAL News spoke with Jihad Shawwa, who has relatives in Gaza. Unfortunately, his worst fears were realized this week when approximately nine of his family members died in an explosion.
"Sometimes you cannot find the right words that really express your sadness," Shawwa said.
He shared images depicting his family's buildings amidst the devastation caused by the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Shawwa expressed his frustration of what's happened.
"How about the people who don't like Hamas? Are they going to die?" Shawwa said.
The rabbi from Beth Meyer Synagogue, along with other rabbis across the Triangle, will be heading to Israel in mid-November to meet with families and offer support.
An estimated 220 hostages are still being held by Hamas terrorist after the initial Oct. 7 attack – more than half of whom are from foreign nations. Four hostages have been freed so far, and a diplomat said talks were “progressing positively," although there has been "no breakthrough yet."
On Tuesday, Israel intensified airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, resulting in the destruction of residential buildings and trapping families under rubble. Health officials reported hundreds of Palestinian casualties within a single day, and medical facilities were forced to shut down due to damage from the bombings and power shortages.
The extensive air bombardment persisted overnight as Israeli jets targeted various sites in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Interior Ministry. This escalation in violence marks an unprecedented death toll in the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The potential for further loss of life in Gaza increases as Israeli forces, supported by tanks and artillery, prepare to initiate an anticipated ground offensive with the objective of defeating Hamas militants.
