Man whose parents were murdered by Hamas on October 7 says: We are on precipice of global war— Peace is possible

7 October 2024, 12:58

A man whose parents were murdered by Hamas on October 7 said the world was on the "precipice" of global war, but peace is possible.

Maoz Inon told LBC's James O'Brien that his parents prepared him and his siblings throughout their lives to call for peace and reconciliation, breaking the "cycle" of revenge.

Mr Inon's parents were killed at their home in Netiv, Ha’asara, Israel, only 300 metres from the border with Gaza. The house had been burned to ashes while the couple was hiding in their safe room.

After his parents' death, Mr Maoz and his siblings publicly called for peace and an end to violence in Israel and Palestine.

Read more: 'It's the last thing I see at night': Mother of Israeli teen hostage recalls learning Hamas had abducted son on Instagram

Read more: Israeli President marks a year 'since life came to a halt' as IDF releases harrowing footage of October 7 massacre

He said: "What we realised is that we were prepared for October 7th. We were prepared by our parents to know what to do, what to say and how to act. As [ironic] and sad as it is, we were prepared by our parents."

"Only three days after losing them my young brother and again as the family said that by revenging the death of my parents, we're not going to bring them back. We're just gonna escalate the cycle of war, of bloodshed, of revenge that is going on for a century now between the river to the sea. And it's time to end this cycle. And this is our mission.

"Our mission is to break the cycle and to offer and work an alternative path. The path of peace and reconciliation."

Mr Inon advocates for peace in the region with Palestinian activist Aziz Abu Sarah, who at the age of nine saw his brother die from internal injuries after being detained for a year on suspicion of stone throwing.

The two have partnered on projects to bring Palestinians and Israelis together as part of a peace movement.

Mr Inon said: "We both lost our loved one. We both are angry. We both are in pain and in suffering. But we don't compete to suffer more. We don't even try to blame anyone. We have just decided to partner, to work together and create a better future for all. All of us live here between the river to the sea, Palestinian and Israelis, and we are on the same side.

"If you must divide us between sides, please divide us by those who believe in equality, in dignity and reconciliation in security and safety, and those who don't believe in it yet."

The Israeli peace activist told James that urgent action is needed to prevent further deaths and the regional conflict from turning into "a global war."

He said: "Peace is possible and we are at the footsteps of precipice. It can be the precipice of global war, and it can be the precipice of global peace, and we need to decide which way we want to go.

"Unfortunately, the policy is so that we are being pushed into a global war. We must stop it. Each one of us is accountable. We won't be able to blame afterwards the leaders or the politician or the extremists, because we’ll pay with our life."

Asked how he retains hope, Mr Inon gave all the credit to his parents.

"My father, it's for my parents. It's very easy answer," he told LBC.

"And my mum gave me and my siblings the power to dream big. She raised us with the courage to chase our dream and now we are all dreaming of one thing. 

"We are dreaming of peace with our parents' legacy and with our partners, Palestinians, Israelis, and internationally.

"We're going to make it. We're gonna make it because peace is possible, and we're gonna prove it again. I think humanity needs to renew the vows that were signed and achieved after the Second World War. 

"Because if we want to renew it now, it can happen again, not just here…, but globally."