Posters of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas militants torn down in Melbourne

Posters showing Israelis who have been taken hostage by Hamas have been ripped down in Melbourne’s CBD as tensions continue to flare over the conflict.

Posters with photos of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas – including a young child – appear to have been torn down in Melbourne, as tensions continue to rise over the conflict.

Remains of the posters, which feature missing Israelis under the heading KIDNAPPED and ask passers-by to “please help bring them home alive”, were visible outside Flinders Street Station underpass on Wednesday morning.

The posters appeared to have been torn so none of the victim’s faces were visible, and most of their names — except five-year-old Amelia Alony — also ripped off the wall.

The images are part of the Kidnapped From Israel project, which was started by a group of Israeli artists in New York and features images of real hostages, used with their families’ permission.

Posters showing Israeli hostages have been torn down in Melbourne.

A poster released by the Kidnapped from Israel project. Picture: Supplied

The Flinders Street Station posters were not the first ones to be damaged, with people captured on video in London and New York tearing them down.

“On October 7th, 2023 nearly 200 innocent civilians were abducted from Israel into the Gaza Strip by Hamas,” the Kidnapped from Israel project website says.

“With the clear goal of returning these hostages back home safely and immediately, thousands of people have been hanging photos of the hostages in dozens of cities around the world.”

The project has asked people to “place as many posters as possible in the public space” to “create maximise awareness among the global community”.

Relative Raquel Zichik told a United Nations event and CBS news in the US that Amelia Alony, who was featured on one of the Melbourne posters, was taken alongside five other family members.

“We want them back. It’s all we want,” Ms Zichik told CBS.