The family of Ohad Munder-Zichri is unsure if he still wears his glasses.
Given the circumstances, it would seem insignificant, but the 8-year-old is thought to be one of the 200 or so Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. But for Ohad’s loved ones, the idea that he won’t be able to see is a cause of intense sorrow throughout the long evenings spent waiting for news.
At her mother’s house in Jerusalem on Thursday, his cousin Osnat Meiri told NBC News that “he cannot manage without his glasses.” “This is something that his father struggles with a lot. He frequently inquires, “What about his glasses?” They might let him retain it, I hope.
On October 7, Hamas militants broke through the Gaza border fence when Ohad, who turns 9 on Monday, was at a family event at the kibbutz Nir Oz, according to Meiri, 53.
He has not been seen or heard from since, according to his mother Keren Munder, 54, and his grandparents Ruth and Avraham, all 78. She also stated that another cousin, Roee, 50, was killed.
She said that the Israeli military had verified the discovery of the family’s telephones in Gaza. But Meiri said the family had not seen any indication that their loved ones were still alive despite watching hours of chaotic recordings that purported to show the attacks.
She continued that the Israeli military was unable to provide them with assurance regarding what had occurred.
The Israel Defence Forces have been contacted by NBC News regarding Ohad’s situation.
“Meiri said that her family was among the pioneers of Nir Oz, a town of 400 people located approximately half a mile from the Gaza border.
It shared a liberal political stance with many other kibbutzim, and according to Meiri, before Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, volunteers would transport Gazans to Israeli hospitals for medical care.
“People still believe in peace,” she remarked. However, this was purely evil.
She pleaded with nations all over the world to make use of any diplomatic backchannels available to mediate a solution to release the hostages.
There isn’t any time, she declared. There isn’t much time left, so you must use every means at your disposal to bring them back.”
In a Friday update, the IDF stated that between 10 and 20 of the 200 hostages in the Gaza Strip were over 60 years old and that more than 20 of them were youngsters under the age of 18. “Most of the hostages are still alive. Also transported hostage to the Gaza Strip were dead bodies, it continued.
You must realise that we are watching for their return, Meiri stated. “My cousin’s brother passed away. The son of my aunt and uncle passed away. They are unaware that their home, as well as the entire neighbourhood where they spent so many years, has been destroyed.