United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday sent a reply to a letter from eight Nobel Prize laureates, which was sent on the 100th day of the hostage crisis that began on October 7. It has now been 79 days since the original letter was sent.
In their letter, the Nobel laureates issued a call urging Guterres to act for the immediate release of the hostages and ensure medical care for all those held captive. They also invited him to visit Israel and the communities near Gaza to witness firsthand the destruction and horrors caused by Hamas terrorists, and to meet with families of the hostages and survivors of captivity who were released.
The signatories included Aaron Ciechanover, MD, DSc, 2004 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry; Dan Shechtman, PhD, 2011 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry; Ada Yonath, PhD, 2009 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry; and Daniel Kahneman, PhD, 2002 Nobel Laureate in Economics. Daniel Kahneman passed away on March 27th, after the letter was sent.
In his response, Secretary-General António Guterres stated: "Nothing can justify the torture, killing, maiming, and abduction of civilians, the use of sexual violence, nor the launching of rockets towards civilian targets. The mental health consequences will endure for a long time to come. Please rest assured that our efforts will not abate until all hostages are released and until their whereabouts are known."