Amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas group, hundreds of women and children have been missing and have been taken hostage by the group. 600 Israelis and around 370 people in Gaza have been killed since Hamas launched a sudden and extensive attack on Saturday. Among those missing is an Israeli mother and her two daughters who were near the Gaza border over the weekend when the Hamas group attacked their home.
The woman, Doron Asher, had travelled with her girls to see their grandmother in Nir Oz village close to the Gaza border, as per news agency Reuters. She called her husband Yoni Asher, who was in central Israel, to inform him about the attack. "She told me the terrorists are in the house," he said. He added that the phone disconnected and he has not heard from her since then. Later, he tracked his wife's phone through her Google account and noticed her location was Khan Younis in Gaza.
Later, a video of his wife and children emerged on social media while they were being taken to Gaza. In the footage, the family is being asked to sit in a vehicle along with other hostages. "I surely identified my wife, my two daughters and my mother-in-law on some kind of a cart, and terrorists of Hamas all around them. My little two girls, they are only babies, they are not even 5 years old and 3-years-old ... I don't know in what terms they are captive. I don't know what happened to them," he said. The father of two begged for the safety of his family and even offered to become a hostage in exchange for their release. "I want to ask of Hamas, 'Don't hurt them. Don't hurt little children. Don't hurt women. If you want me instead, I'm willing to come,” he said.
In an interview with the New Yorker, Mr Asher said that he has been trying to contact government authorities to bring back his family. "I also have been attempting to reach officials in the government and security establishment, but nobody other than a social worker has contacted me yet. I haven't eaten or slept in fifteen hours. I don't think someone can eat in this situation or even think about eating. All I can do is reach out to everyone who will listen and share the names and photos of my family," he said.
On Sunday, Mr Asher said that he heard from the security officials and foreign ministry but no one could provide him with any new details. "Of course, like every other parent, I'm terrified and fearful-I worry about what will happen in the coming days. The uncertainty is so hard to deal with. It's extremely difficult. I don't know how much time it will take to bring them home. Not to mention, when you're reaching out to officials all day and no one responds, it feels like you've been abandoned. That you're in no man's land. It almost feels like there's nobody I can rely on."
