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Meet Israeli activist Maoz Inon, who lost his parents in Hamas attack, now calls for peace

Having lost both his parents at the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, Maoz Inon calls on the government to take responsibility for the divide within the Israeli society, which had weakened the country, and for what happened that terrible day.

Israel Inon
Maoz Inon, 48, whose parents died in the Oct. 7 attack carried out by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip, speaks a protest calling upon the Israeli prime minister to resign outside the Israeli parliament (Knesset) in Jerusalem on Nov. 7, 2023. — AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

Peace activist Maoz Inon, whose parents were killed on Oct. 7, continued Wednesday to protest against the government, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign. 

Ion's demonstration outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, along with several other family members of Israelis killed in the Hamas attack, turned especially tense, as police detained Ayelet Katzir, who leads the group. 

Inon, 48, was carrying a sign that read, ‘’The blood of my parents is calling from the doorstep of their shelter.’’ In a video, police are seen pushing Inon and arguing with him. Another video shows police confiscating a sign from protester Yael Alon, whose father was killed during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and whose son was killed on Oct. 7. Katzir was taken to the Moriah police station for questioning. She was released shortly afterward. 

Inon, a social entrepreneur, founded the Fauzi Azar Inn 20 years ago in the Arab-Israeli town of Nazareth, as a project for enhancing coexistence between Jews and Arabs. After that, he and his partners established the independent Abraham Hostel chain (named after biblical Abraham, symbol of peace and hospitality for the three religions), with inns in Tel Aviv, Eilat and other locations across Israel. 

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