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An Israeli landlord has allegedly ordered the roommate of an Israeli woman who is said to be held by Palestinian resistance forces in Gaza to pay half of her rent, lest he throw out her belongings, according to local reports from last week.
Inbar Hayman, 27 is believed to be among over 199 Israeli prisoners of war as part of the Hamas-led resistance operation Al-Aqsa Flood, which has been the deadliest to date for the occupation state. Over 200 were killed in the attack, which, according to one Israel survivor, was largely at the hands of the Israeli military themselves.
The landlord of the apartment, situated in the northern city of Haifa, told her roommate and partner that they needed to pay the full rent for the unit. When the roommate, identified as Noam Allon, told him Hyman had been taken by the resistance, he allegedly replied: “Look for replacements. You are not doing me a favour by living there.”
“Let it be clear to you: You have an obligation for the rent of 2,500 shekels [about $630]. You can talk to her parents about vacating the room,” the landlord is said to have stated.
What 💀 pic.twitter.com/h7vyscLSHG
— Hadi Nasrallah (@HadiNasrallah) October 16, 2023
The story has since gone viral on social media, capturing the attention of international news outlets, after the roommate’s father posted a screenshot of an exchange with the landlord.
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“I am 52-years-old,” he was quoted as saying by Jerusalem Post. “In my life. I never thought I would encounter such opacity,” he added.
“I published it so that apartment owners would be careful of treating other people like this and think twice. The network will not forgive and no one does. I intentionally did not publish his name and phone number to give him time to apologise. I do not want to hear from him until Inbar is returned to Israel,” the father said.
“I don’t have time to mess with him, there are more important things than a greedy landlord, we need to get her home.”
This is a bizarre story. Inbar is believed to be in Hamas captivity but her landlords still expect her to either pay her rent or find a replacement to cover her ! Maccabi Haifa have offered to play her rent for a year because she’s a fan of the club. https://t.co/pQw2BRCLur
— Emily Gian (@emilygian) October 12, 2023
The landlord, identified as Aaron Reiss, has denied the allegations. He told Ynet: “I share in the grief of the dear parents that their daughter will return safely and whole and as soon as possible. In essence, there is a whirlwind of shaming here. My tenant and the abducted woman do not owe me a shekel.”
According to the apartment owner, “the partner took advantage of the situation because now he knew he would have to pay full rent”, insisting that the contract was signed between the apartment owner and Inbar’s partner.
“The partner raised the question, ‘What do I do with her things? I can’t rent the apartment to another partner like this.’ He decided he didn’t want to leave the apartment, but until this moment no one owes me money. I’m sorry for this shaming. In the end the truth will come out.”
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