️JUST IN: Israelis searching for their sons in videos from Syria.
Israeli families are searching for their sons in videos being broadcast of detainees from Saydnaya Prison and other prisons, looking for any information about their fate. They are pressuring the Israeli government to take advantage of available opportunities to rescue them or uncover their whereabouts.
The spy Eli Cohen was buried in Damascus 60 years ago. Guy Hever disappeared in the Golan 27 years ago, and Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman were lost during the Sultan Yacoub battle in 1982.
With the changing circumstances in Syria, these families hope that new evidence will emerge, saying: “Prisoners are being released after decades of detention in harsh conditions. Perhaps they were held in dark basements all this time.”
Credit for thread: @tamerqdh - Translated from Arabic.
Nadia Cohen, the widow of Israeli spy Eli Cohen; Farhiya Hyman, the sister of Yehuda Katz; and Anat Feldman, the sister of Zvi Feldman, told Yedioth Ahronoth that despite decades of pain and frustration, they believe this is a rare opportunity that Israel must seize.
Nadia Cohen expressed her hope that the fall of the Assad regime might lead to the retrieval of her husband Eli Cohen’s remains, which were buried in Damascus after his execution. She said: “Since the situation in Syria began to deteriorate, I reached out to Mossad, hoping they would try to resolve the issue and bring Eli back to be buried in Israel.”
She added: “On Friday, the centennial of Eli’s birth, I spoke with Dadi Barnea, the head of Mossad, and asked him to write about Eli. His words deeply moved me and reminded me of the importance of bringing Eli’s remains to Israel. Now, with the events in Syria, I hope the state realizes that this is the right time.”
Nadia continued: “In the past, I personally reached out to Bashar al-Assad, but he rejected my request and said Eli would return at the appropriate time. Perhaps that time has come.” She added: “I don’t want Eli’s remains to stay in Syria. I haven’t forgotten Eli for even a moment, and it has been nearly 60 years since his execution.”
In the Sultan Yacoub battle, which took place on June 11, 1982, the Israeli army left six soldiers on the battlefield, including Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman, who remain missing to this day.
Farhiya, Katz’s sister, spoke about the hope she feels after the Syrian revolution, saying: “We have a lot of hope, especially when we see Lebanese prisoners being released from prisons. I repeatedly review the videos to see if Yehuda is among them. There were indications that he was captured alive, and we know that his tank commander was returned by the Syrians. This could be a major turning point, but I don’t know what tomorrow holds for us.”
She added: “We have been living with this situation for 43 years, and it feels as if we have become enemies of the state. But this is not a fantasy, because we see Lebanese prisoners being released.”
Anat, the sister of Zvi Feldman, who also went missing during that battle, expressed her belief that recent events open the door for change. She said: “What is happening now in Syria is a rare window of opportunity, and we strongly hope that it will bring Zvi back home. We have no idea what happened to him, but the Assad regime and his father were extremely cruel. He may have been held in dark basements.”
She added: “Yesterday, when we heard about the release of prisoners who had been detained for more than 50 years, it sparked a lot of thoughts. We have always said that Zvi might be held somewhere. We are in contact with entities in the state, but we cannot go into details. The state must bring him back. This is not a private matter but a national responsibility.”
Mike