Since the surprise Oct. 7 attack on Israel carried out by Hamas, 199 people have been taken hostage -- and a local effort is underway to put a face and name to those captives.
As the fight to save those hostages continues overseas, two artists took it upon themselves to plaster posters up and down New York City featuring the pictures and names of those missing.
The two Israeli artists responsible for the posters say their work isn't political, it's a humanitarian project. For Dede Bandaid and his partner Nitzan Mintz, every person on the posters deserves to go back home.
"I cannot live with myself knowing that this 12-year-old is now in the hands of Hamas," Mintz told News 4.
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The couple was here in New York when the war broke out. Working with another artist back in Israel, they created the posters with images of the 199 hostages. One night, the couple posted the flyers online – allowing anyone with a printer to make copies.
"This was a miracle, the entire city, Manhattan, was covered with those posters, people wanted to help," Mintz explained.
Some have called the posters are street art with a purpose, while others call them pro-Israeli propaganda.
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A number of people objecting to the poster project have been tearing them down. One person snapped a photo of a trash can on campus filled with crumpled up posters.
"When I see people tearing them down, I don’t understand what’s the purpose of it," NYU student Leah Mayeri said.
NYU sent out a letter to the student body last week condemning the attack by Hamas and said the university remains committed to peaceful discourse. NYU student Rahul Wadhwani said tension over the war is spreading into the classroom.
"I think it’s a very tense environment, everybody is really on edge," Wadhwani said.
As for Mintz and Bandaid, they will remain in New York unless Israel calls them to serve on the frontlines.
"We feel like this is our reserve now, our duty," Mintz said.
