In a shocking turn of events, an Israeli mother and her two young daughters were among the over 100 civilians taken hostage by Hamas militants in a surprise attack on the country last Saturday.
Doron Asher and her daughters were visiting their grandmother in the village of Nir Oz, near the Gaza border, when the militants stormed their home, according to Reuters.
In a chilling phone call to her husband, Yoni, back in central Israel, Doron managed to convey that the terrorists were in the house before the line went dead. Yoni has not heard from his wife since that fateful call. "She told me the terrorists are in the house," Yoni recounted, his voice heavy with worry.
Using Doron's phone, Yoni was able to track her location, which showed her as being across the border in Gaza. His worst fears were confirmed when he saw a video on social media that clearly showed Doron and their daughters being forcibly loaded into a cart at gunpoint, along with other hostages, and taken away by Hamas militants.
"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," Yoni stated, his voice choked with emotion. "My little two girls, they are only babies, they are not even 5 years old and 3 years old. I dont know in what terms they are captive. I dont know what happened to them.
In a desperate plea, Yoni offered himself as a hostage in exchange for his family's safe return. "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.'"
The attack by Hamas fighters has left a trail of bloody destruction, with hundreds of Israelis killed and thousands injured since Saturday. Disturbing videos have surfaced showing women and children being forcibly taken away, screaming, on motorcycles, cars, and loaded into trucks and wagons.
Survivors of a music festival targeted by Hamas reported that the militants were shooting the legs off concertgoers to prevent them from escaping.
Doron, who is also a German citizen according to the Independent, has had her family appeal to German officials for assistance in securing her and her daughters' safe return. She is not the only German-Israeli caught up in the conflict.
Shani Louk, a German tattoo artist, was identified as a woman whose body was seen stripped naked, thrown into the back of a pick-up truck, and paraded around by Hamas fighters. Her current status remains unknown.
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