Jerusalem – As Israel gears up for an anticipated full-scale ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, the families of the almost 200 hostages believed to be held by the group are rallying together in a desperate bid to save their loved ones – and their frustration is reaching a boiling point.
For nine agonizing days, 86-year-old Chanon Cohen heard nothing from Israeli officials regarding the fate of his seven family members who were abducted during Hamas militants’ violent rampage across southern Israel.
“We didn’t receive any updates. The only information we have is from the images released by Hamas,” he revealed in an interview with CBS News. “The last time we saw them was when they were being taken to Gaza.”
Cohen is a founding member of Nir Oz, an Israeli community located near the Gaza border. More than 50 individuals from Nir Oz are currently missing and believed to have been kidnapped, including Cohen’s sister, Margalit Moses, who was captured on video being taken away by Hamas militants.
Moses requires constant medical attention as she has health problems.
“I’m extremely worried,” lamented Cohen. “Internally, I’m grieving. I believe that grieving is a healthy part of processing emotions. However, externally, I’m trying to remain strong.”
Cohen possesses dual Israeli-German citizenship, and he and his daughter Efrat disclosed that, apart from minimal communication from Israeli authorities, they have only received official support from the German embassy.
“Their support gives us the strength to persevere…the guidance we desperately need, and they treat us with utmost fairness and compassion,” Efrat remarked, adding that her family hasn’t received the same level of support from Israeli authorities, at least “not yet.”
Almost immediately after Hamas initiated its attack on October 7th, hundreds of relatives of hostages and missing individuals in Israel united to apply pressure on their government and save their loved ones.
Representatives of various governments, including the U.S., met with these families earlier than their own Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did.
The mounting frustration has driven the families to stage protests outside Israel’s Ministry of Defense, demanding humanitarian and medical aid for the hostages trapped within Gaza. The area has been entirely sealed off by Israel through a blockade since the Hamas attack.
“I never anticipated things would unfold this way,” expressed Efrat, voicing her concern over the Israeli government’s response to the hostage crisis. “No one knows their whereabouts. No one knows who took them. No one knows their condition. I can’t even begin to describe my anxiety,” she confided to CBS News.
She shared that she is expending every ounce of effort to prevent herself from being overwhelmed by grief and fear, so she can continue to do everything possible to keep the plight of her loved ones at the forefront of those in power.
“Our first priority is knowing they’re safe. Then, we want assurance that they have access to medication. Finally, we want them to come home – alive,” affirmed Efrat. “We want them to return alive.”
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