Their words, spoken in confident English, depict the harsh reality of the drama that is playing out. Yamit Ashkenazi, Ido Shamriz and Liran Berman do not need to be in the same room to say the same words tirelessly for two months. When discussing their situation, these thirty-year-olds oscillate between “hope” always, “sadness” often, and nagging “exhaustion”. His three Israeli thirty-somethings have been linked since the Hamas attacks on October 7.
Not affected by the first wave of hostage releases, three of their relatives, kidnapped by the Palestinian Islamist movement in the Kibbutz of Kfar Aza, are among the 138 people still detained in Gaza: Doron Steinbrecher, Yamit’s little sister, Alon Shamriz, Ido’s little brother and Gali and Zev Berman, Liran’s twin brothers. Three stories for a single tragedy, which pushed these families to travel across Europe to alert and ask for help.
The difficult connection between family life and the fight for liberation
A few hundred meters from the Arc de Triomphe, after a visit to Brussels the day before, this delegation engages again by trying to tame the emotional “rollercoaster”, and by combining their commitment with a disrupted family life. “Right now, I’m not the best father, nor the best husband,” continues Liran Berman, father of two children aged 4 and one, after a furtive sigh. I am not often available. I am doing everything I can to speak about my brothers and obtain their release. “.
Being a “strong” parent for her two children, aged 6 and 3, is also the objective of Yamit Ashkenazi, not ready to “give in to her moods” despite her life being cut in two, between fights for his younger sister and her children. “How can you explain to children that their aunt was kidnapped? It took us a while to find the words,” explains the 34-year-old mother.
“If they ask us questions, we answer”
For Ido Shamriz, the approach was different. Her two little girls are 2 years old for one, and ten months old for the other. So, the young father did not try to get involved in any major explanations. “They can’t understand but they know that their uncle is gone, since they don’t see him,” he confides. But the other time, we were walking in Tel Aviv, and they saw a sign with Alon’s head. The older one came closer, as if to kiss him. »
“My 4-year-old eldest understands that something is wrong, but we don’t want to put pressure on him,” explains Liran Berman, 36 years old. If they ask us questions, we answer, but we don’t want him to learn news that embarrasses or hurts him.”
Especially since their offspring must already digest the trauma of the day of the attack. Locked in a rescue room with her two little ones for 21 hours, Yamit Ashkenazi made it her mission to “cope” and not be overwhelmed, for their sake. And, when bad thoughts assail him, Yamit uncovers his left arm. A sun stripped of a few rays is tattooed in black ink on his skin. It gives him “courage” and hope.” She vowed to complete it when her sister returned. “I know I’m going to finish it,” she insists.
Between each response, the sighs and the silences sometimes say more than words. But, even after more than sixty days without news, the simple mention of their loved ones and their passions makes them smile broadly.
The two twins are football mad and “long-time subscribers” in the stands of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, like Alon, to whom the club dedicated “a mural”. Doron is passionate about animals. This is also what they want to convey to their interlocutors. “Some days we are filled with hope, others we are totally dejected, but we have to try to see things positively,” concludes Ido Shamriz. It is also this message that the delegation of hostage families intends to convey to Strasbourg, the last stage of their European tour, on Sunday.