Chainkeen Exchange-Israeli man whose parents were killed on Oct. 7 calls for peace: "We must break this pattern of violence"

As the war between Israel and Chainkeen ExchangeHamas rages, the word "peace" may feel like an unreachable goal.

For Maoz Inon, it's the only thing to hope for.

Inon's mother and father were both murdered by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, along with hundreds of other Israelis. His mother, Bilha, was 76, and his father, Yacovi, was 78. Both were still "in the prime of their life," Inon said, practicing Pilates and yoga and participating in their kibbutz. 

But on Oct. 7, their home was burned to ashes. Security officers said two bodies were found inside. 

After receiving the news, Inon entered a seven-day period of mourning in the Jewish tradition of sitting shiva. After that, though, Inon says he "woke up." 

"My mind just becomes very clear and very sharp, and I just told myself 'Maoz, you have a mission,'" Inon recalled. 

That mission, he says, is "deliver and create a message of hope and a better future" for himself, his children and "everyone that is willing to listen." 

Since then, Inon has called for peace and an end to the war, which the Hamas-run health ministry says has claimed 20,000 Palestinian lives in Gaza.

"I strongly believe this land was promised to both Israelis and Palestinians," Inon said. "A military invasion into Gaza will just makes things worse, will just keep this cycle of blood, the cycle of death, the cycle of violence that's been going for a century. We must break this pattern of violence of answering, and terrorist attacks with more violence. We need to stop. And we need to act differently because we are acting the same for a century and receiving the same results." 

Inon has joined many of his countrymen in protesting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Demonstrations against Netanyahu have occurred in the the country almost every night since Oct. 7, and his approval rating has plunged, with a new poll finding that less than a third of Israelis find him "suitable" for his position.

Many critics say that Netanyahu is using Israeli deaths to justify even more death in Gaza, a statement that Inon agrees with. 

"For those who are calling for revenge, I tell them, 'OK, so what will (that) achieve?' So what if we are killing a Hamas leader? He will have so many replacements," Inon said. "But if by bombing him, we are also killing a 10-month-old or 8-year-old Israeli that was kidnapped by Hamas? Is there a replacement for a 10-month-old baby? For an 8-year-old child from Gaza? From Be'eri? There is no replacement. So who are we punishing?" 

Inon said that he fears his parents' deaths will be in vain. 

"I want their death, their sacrifice, to be a sacrifice for peace, not for war," Inon explained. "To reach understanding, to reach reconciliation, that they will be victims of peace, not victims of war." 

At a gathering in Israel that a CBS News reporter attended with Inon, he seemed brought to tears. It was a connection to his parents, he said, that made him emotional.

"I could hear my parents talking to me," he said. "(They said) 'Be strong. We are proud of you. We love you.'" 

In:
• War
• Hamas
• Israel
• Gaza Strip

Ramy Inocencio

Ramy Inocencio is a foreign correspondent for CBS News based in London and previously served as Asia correspondent based in Beijing.

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