Families of Israelis missing in Gaza seek UN, Red Cross help

                                                    

On Wednesday, the relatives of four Israelis who have been missing in Gaza since 2014 and 2015 gathered in Geneva to ask for assistance in forwarding their cases with the Red Cross and the UN.

Israeli soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin died during Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip in 2014. Their bodies are now in the possession of Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, despite the fact that it has never officially acknowledged their deaths.

Avera Mengistu, an Ethiopian Jew, and Hisham Al-Sayed, a Bedouin Muslim, are believed to be two Israeli civilians who entered the coastal enclave of their own volition in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

Both are believed to be alive, according to the Israeli authorities, who claim that they are both mentally ill.

Their family members have flown to Geneva to ask the world community for assistance in advancing their cases.

They met Volker Turk, the vice-president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Gilles Carbonnier on Wednesday.

"My son's information has been kept secret for nine years in Gaza? Leah Goldin said to AFP, "Zero.

"I'm coming in the role of a mother of a son, and I'm battling to have to bury my kid the way he deserves to be buried.

It's time to take action, so I'm heading to Geneva where all human rights concerns are discussed.

In Israel, where the great majority of young Jews are required to serve in the military, the fate of missing troops is a subject that is extremely sensitive.