BICOM

The mothers of the three Israeli youngsters who were abducted almost two weeks ago appeared yesterday at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to appeal for more to be done in order to secure the safe return of their children.

Eyal Yifrah, 19, Gilad Shaer and Naftali Frenkel, both 16, were abducted 12 days ago while hitchhiking in the West Bank. Since then, Israel has conducted a large-scale military operation to locate the missing teenagers especially targeting Hamas activists with arrests made across the West Bank, particularly in the Hebron area.

Yesterday, the mothers of the three teenagers appeared before the UNHRC in Geneva and Rachel Frenkel gave an account of her son Naftali’s disappearance. She said, “My son texted me — said he’s on his way home — and then he’s gone … Every mother’s nightmare.” She then briefly described the personalities of each of the youngsters, saying that Naftali “loves to play guitar and basketball. He’s a good student and a good boy — a combination of serious and fun. Eyal loves to play sports and cook. Gilad is an amateur pastry chef, and loves movies.”

Frenkel thanked with “profound gratitude” those across the world who have supported the families since the kidnapping. However, she also asked, “Doesn’t every child have the right to come home safely from school?” adding, “Much more can be done and should be done by so many.”

Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon said that the intensity of arrests in connection with the kidnapping will likely reduce, but that it is “only a matter of time until we get to the kidnappers and the kidnapped youths.” The IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz said that fear for the youngsters is increasing as time goes by.

Meanwhile, five rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip yesterday. None caused any injuries or damage and two were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system. Israel’s Air Force responded with strikes against seven specific targets in Gaza.