Israeli Mother on Hamas Terrorists Kidnaping Her Children: ‘It’s Against the Laws of War’

MITCHELL: “We now have the the mother back on — back on with us. We were going to ask you about what you’re saying to your boys. You were trying to keep them calm. Tell us about that conversation.”
Israeli MOTHER: “Yeah, I was on the phone with them and trying to calm them down, saying, you know, the military is going to get there and safe and they’re in their home. This is what we always tell them. And then at approximately half past 8, they started hearing voices of the door breaking. They were with me on the phone, and I asked them to be quiet, to stay quiet. They were in a safe room, which is a bedroom of the eldest, who is 16, as I said, and about 10 minutes later I could hear people speaking in Arabic outside their door when they broke in, and the last thing I heard was the youngest, who is 12, saying, ‘I’m too young, don’t take me.’ And that was it. That was the last time I heard from them.”
MITCHELL: “I am so sorry. We’re all thinking about you. Have you heard anything from the government?”
Israeli MOTHER: “No, unfortunately, not yet. Well, the army is now getting in touch with families I know, and I’m keeping my hopes up that they’re alive and well. I know that their father and his spouse were taken also because we’ve seen one of the videos that Hamas put on, so we know that they’re alive, and I’m hoping that they’re with them. And as they took hundreds of children, babies, women and elderly people, some of them from the place I live in, I’m hopeful that they’re all together and that they have other people that they know around them to keep them safe and to give them a hug, and just come back home.”
MITCHELL: “You know, I’m sure you want them to be with people they know so they’re not alone there. But what are your feelings about the attacks against Gaza right now? How can the government — “
Israeli MOTHER: “You’re looking for a symmetrical situation, and I must say, it isn’t. If you were dealing with of a war who is between two countries, countries don’t take children hostages, I’m sorry. It’s against the laws of war. It’s against humanity. It’s against anything that we all believe in. Every time we had missiles shot at us, I used to say to my children that they should be sympathetic towards the children of Gaza because they suffer a lot more than they do. I’m not sure I still believe in it now. And I must say, the only worry I have now from the bombings in Gaza is the fact that my children are there. And I can’t be sympathetic anymore. I can’t be sympathetic to animal human beings — well, they’re, not really human beings — who came into my house, broke everything, stole everything, took my children from their patrons, and took them to the Gaza Strip. Israel never done that and it will never do. So, there is no symmetry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being so emotional.”
MITCHELL: “Do you want the government to put the the top priority on getting the hostages out before they retaliate?”
Israeli MOTHER: “I want my government to put it on the first priority and I want the world to put it on the first priority. I think any mother in the world should try and imagine her children in that situation and then think again. That’s all I want. I want the world to ask them to release children, to release elderlies, to release the civilians they took. There is no reason to hold them there. They are not soldiers. They are not part of the war and they have nothing to do with it. We gave them work permits. We really believed that this was the way to move their economy, to reconnect these two so-called countries. This is not the way a country behaves. This is a way that a terror organization behaves. I’m sorry. So, again, there’s no symmetry.”
MITCHELL: “And again, you have not heard from the government since Saturday when this horrific thing happened?”
Israeli MOTHER: “As I said, I have been contacted, but they haven’t had any news for me. They just wanted to know what I know and to get my information. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no news. They have been contacted, but there’s no news. Obviously, there’s lots for the government in Israel to — to learn from this situation, but I’m not focused on that. I’m focused on the world helping to release my children and the other hundreds of civilians held hostage in the Gaza Strip. That’s all I’m focused on. There will be time to rethink. There will be time to learn. There will be time to make conclusions. It’s not now.”
MITCHELL: “That is completely understandable. We can’t can’t even imagine your agony. At least, you know, you are getting your message out, and I know that’s why you’re doing this. You want the world to know what is happening to your beloved children.”
Israeli MOTHER: “Yes, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity.”
MITCHELL: “Thank you. And wishing you — our prayers and our hearts are with you.”
Israeli MOTHER: “Thank you so much.”
MITCHELL: “Thank you for sharing your grief with us, your agony. And we’ll have more. We’ll be right back.”