Over 80 Nobel Laureates, Families Petition for Release of Child Hostages in Gaza

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - More than 80 Nobel Prize winners and families of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza have signed a petition advocating for the release of the kidnapped children, the Government Press Office (GPO) of Israel said on Friday.

"Let us not surrender to the moral exclusion of the world. The act of holding young children in captivity constitutes a war crime, a grievous offense against humanity itself. Our moral call is resolute: Let The Children Go," the petition signed by 86 Nobel Prize winners said.

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan, joined by Nobel Prize laureate Professor Daniel Kahneman and family members of the Israeli hostages, is set to deliver the petition to US Ambassador Robert Wood.

Wood will subsequently deliver it to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The petition says that Hamas abducted hundreds of Israeli soldiers and civilians during the assault, including children ranging from 6 months to 18 years old.

The petition warns that even in the face of the "dubious" assumption that Hamas is providing basic necessities to the kidnapped children, the reality is that "children in captivity are left vulnerable, and their time in such conditions is finite."

This comes after a large-scale attack by the Gaza-based Palestinian movement Hamas on Israel earlier this month, which led to thousands killed and injured on both sides. In response, Israel declared a state of war with Hamas, imposing a complete blockade on the Gaza Strip, affecting water, electricity, and food supplies.