‘Tick-Tock Time is Running Out’: A Heartbreaking Mother’s Cry for her Bloodied and Battered Daughter Caught in Hamas’ Grasp

The heartbreaking tale of a mother’s struggle to get her daughter out of Hamas captivity is one that no family should ever have to endure. For the last two years, Canadian-Jewish mother Miriam Saretsky has been trying to get her daughter, Shireen, released from Hamas’ cruel and inhumane captivity, but to no avail. Saretsky has described the little she knows about her daughter’s suffering and torture while in the custody of Hamas, including beatings, electric shocks, starvation, and religious coercion. According to Saretsky, in a recent video, Shireen “looked bruised, battered and exhausted” and pleaded with her mother “to get her out before it’s too late.” For Saretsky, time is running out to get her daughter back before it’s too late. To that end, Saretsky has been doing everything in her power to try to free her daughter, including meeting with Canadian and US officials, lobbying Israeli, American, Egyptian, and Hamas officials, and enlisting Human Rights organizations to amplify her plight. Yet, after two years of efforts, Shireen remains in Hamas’ captivity. Shireen’s case is sadly not unique, as the plight of Palestinian women and girls taken hostage by Hamas is well-known. Several groups, including the Indigeonous, Gendered, and Human Rights organization Nesank, have condemned Hamas for its ongoing human rights violations, including its practice of taking women and girls as captives. Still, the matter remains largely unheard and unresolved. It is heartbreaking to see a mother desperate for the return of her daughter, struggling every day to keep hope alive. The world must come together to stand up for Shireen and the many Palestinian hostages in the same situation, and put an end to the terror and suffering wrought by Hamas. It’s time to do something to make sure no other mother has to endure similar anguish and fear for her daughter’s safety.