TEL AVIV: The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, escorted Tesla CEO Elon Musk on a tour of Kfar Aza, an Israeli Kibbutz that was attacked on October 7, 2023, by Hamas, according to The Times of Israel.
Musk was shown the horrors inflicted on the people of Kibbutz by the Hamas terrorists during the tour of Kfar Aza and was briefed about the atrocities in Kibbutz by a local council official and an IDF Spokesperson’s Unit representative.
On October 7, the Hamas terrorists stormed the region, murdering people, burning entire homes, capturing a large number of citizens and bringing them to Gaza.
Netanyahu, in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) wrote, “I toured Kibbutz Kfar Gaza with Elon Musk to show him up close the crimes against humanity committed by Hamas.”
Musk was also taken to the residence of Ofir Libstein, community’s security chief, who was shot and killed by the Hamas terrorists. Musk also heard the tale of 4-year-old Israeli-American Avigail Idan, who was taken to Gaza and freed yesterday as a result of a hostage negotiation.
After the release of 13 hostages in Israel, including 4-year-old American girl Avigail Idan, US President Joe Biden vowed an unwavering commitment to ensuring the return of every hostage to their loved ones.
While speaking at a press briefing on Sunday, President Biden said that he would not stop until every hostage was returned to their loved ones.
He also underscored the 13 hostages, including an American, who were released yesterday under a deal brokered and sustained through intensive US diplomacy.
“We will not stop working until every hostage is returned to their loved ones. This has been the product of a lot of hard work and weeks of personal engagement for me and my team,” he said.
He further said that he, his wife, and so “many Americans are praying” that 4-year-old Israeli-American Avigail Idan will be all right after she was released from Hamas captivity earlier on Sunday.
“Idan saw her mother killed in front of her in Kibbutz Be’eri during Hamas’s October 7 terror attack and then ran to her father, who shielded her with his body, as terrorists then shot him dead,” said Biden.
She then ran to her neighbour’s home, where she, along with those inside, was taken hostage in Gaza.
“What she endured is unthinkable,” Biden emphasised, noting that she celebrated her 4th birthday on Friday in captivity and that he had personally pressed for her release in a recent call with the emir of Qatar.
Biden then expressed hope that the truce will be extended so that more hostages can be released.
“Israel has agreed to extend the four-day truce by an additional day for every extra 10 Israeli hostages released,” he added.
Musk, however, has recently come under fire for his endorsements of a virulently antisemitic trope on X, as well as the platform’s complete failure to crack down on rampant disinformation and hate speech amid the ongoing war, The Times of Israel reported.
The failure to combat antisemitism on the app and comments viewed as anti-semitic, shared by Musk himself, resulted in several advertisers like Apple and Disney cutting off their spending on the microblogging site.
Earlier this week, Musk announced that X would be donating all revenue from advertising and subscriptions “associated with the war in Gaza” to hospitals in Israel and the Red Cross/Crescent in Gaza.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk wrote, “We will track how funds are spent and go through the Red Cross/Crescent. Better ideas are welcome. We should care about the innocent regardless of race, creed, religion or anything else.” (ANI)