A grieving Israeli father whose wife, two young children and mother-in-law were taken hostage by Hamas describes his overwhelming guilt – and concern that his loved ones are still alive and asking themselves, “Why didn’t dad come?”
Yoni Asher returned to her mother-in-law’s house in southern Israel after Hamas closed in on October 7 to find that her family, including her daughters, Raz, 5, and Aviv, 3, had been kidnapped and taken away by terrorists.
“The worst thing about being a father with three daughters, a wife, and two little babies – is guilt. This is guilt,” he told CNN.
“I thought about those who were sitting there thinking if they were still alive, ‘Why didn’t dad come?'”
The devastated father added, “And I can’t. I want.”
Asher last spoke to his family earlier that day when his wife, Doron Asher Katz, 34, quietly called him to tell him that terrorists had broken into his mother’s home in southern Israel.
The devastated father spoke of his beloved wife, declaring, “I just want her to know that I love her with all my heart and I’m sorry.”
Asher became emotional, shedding tears as he described the overwhelming guilt he felt without his family — especially his two young girls, who he feared would forget him if they were gone for long.
“I’m afraid they forget me. I’m afraid they don’t know me, you know, for children a day is like a month for us. I want that I will be in their thoughts like they are in mine,” she admitted through tears.
“I have to be strong for them. I’m going through the fight of my life today. I don’t know what will happen, but today it is life or death. I will do anything, by any means,” he added.
Raz, 5, and Aviv, 3, were brought from their grandmother’s house in southern Israel. CNN Asher shared her concern that her daughter might not recognize her if they returned home. CNN Asher previously said he recognized his family in a video shared online of a hostage with Hamas terrorists. CNN
The heartbroken father previously said he thought he recognized his wife, daughter and mother-in-law in a video that went viral on social media showing hostages being forced into the back of a pickup truck by men with guns.
Nearly 200 people have been abducted, with about 50 other abductees being held by “opposition factions and elsewhere,” Hamas officials said.
Follow The Post’s live blog for the latest news on Hamas attacks on Israel
At least 1,400 people in Israel and 2,808 in Gaza have been killed since Hamas launched its surprise attack on the Jewish state on October 7, prompting the Israeli military to prepare an expected “integrated and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land” in response.
As the war enters its tenth day, President Biden is set to visit Israel on Wednesday. His trip comes as the Israel Defense Forces prepare to invade Gaza to purge Hamas.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
