Family members of the missing with German citizenship thank Scholz, demand action

Family members of hostages with German citizenship taken by Hamas terrorists and held in the Gaza Strip spoke at a Tel Aviv press conference Tuesday night following a meeting with  Chancellor Olaf Scholz, thanking the German leader for his strong support but calling for more action to free their loved ones.

Scholz, in Israel for a solidarity visit following the deadly Hamas assault, noted the German citizens among the 200 Hamas hostages and said that Berlin would work to help attain their release and the release of all the hostages.

“We thanked him warmly for his firm stance behind us,” said Gilli Romann, whose sister, Yarden Romann, is missing. “We feel more affirmed with him here. He heard all the stories very patiently.”

Other family members present included the son of Margalit Berta Moses, 77, and Gad Moses, 79. Margalit is very ill, said her son, suffering from cancer and diabetes.

“I’m sure she’s suffering a lot,” he said.

Shaked Haran represented an extended family of 10 from Kibbutz Be’eri in Hamas captivity: Eviatar and Lilach Kipnis, Lilach’s sister Shoshan Haran, 67, and her husband Avshalom Haran, 66; their daughter Adi, 38, a psychologist, her husband Tal, and their two children, Yael Neri, 3, and Naveh, 8; Avshalom Haran’s sister Sharon Avigdori, a special needs psychologist, and her 12-year-old daughter, Noam.

Haran thanked the chancellor for his “kind words,”  but said, “we’re waiting for action, we want to get a sign of life from them.”

Haran mentioned the three children included among her 10  missing family members. “Every night that passes that they’re still there is our failure, and the international community’s failure,” she said.

Another missing family with German citizenship is the wife and daughters of Yoni Asher, along with his wife’s mother, Efrat.

“Right now, I’m a father here without his family,” said Asher. “My entire world got taken away from me.”

Ricarda Louk described what happened to her daughter, Shani Louk, at the Supernova rave. Shani was taken captive by Hamas, her half-naked body thrown on the back of a pickup truck, bloody and unconscious, spit upon by passersby.

“It was just so humiliating and terrible to see,” said Louk. “Why do people behave like animals? I really have no explanation for this.”

Louk received information that Shani was in Gaza, in a hospital and being treated for her head injury, but hasn’t heard anything else since.

“We expect to receive immediate information,” said Haran. “Hamas can give information and is obliged to according to international law. It should be done immediately and requested immediately.”

Yarden Romann’s siblings, Gilli and Roni, said they were traveling to Berlin on Wednesday to speak at a rally “of love and life” for the Israeli captives.

“This is our call to Germany and the whole world to stand with us and bring them back as fast as possible,” said Roni Romann.