It's Ohad Munder-Zichri's ninth birthday. But instead of celebrating at home with his family and friends on Monday, he is somewhere in Gaza, one of more than 200 hostages held by Hamas since the militants' devastating Oct. 7 incursion.
KFAR SABA, Israel — Ohad Munder-Zichri turned 9 on Monday. But instead of celebrating at home with his family and friends, he was somewhere in Gaza, one of more than 200 hostages held by Hamas since the militants’ devastating Oct. 7 incursion.
It’s that uncertainty that has been most agonizing for Ohad’s grief-stricken father, Avi Zichri — not knowing if Ohad is alive, if he is wounded, if he is alone.Two weeks ago she was thriving. Now, a middle-class mom in Gaza struggles to survive“I keep imagining what he is going through. He’s a sensitive boy. Did he see dead bodies? He wears glasses. Did they take them from him? Can he see anything?” Zichri said as he nervously chain-smoked cigarettes on his front porch.
“And then I wake up in the morning and feel guilty for not thinking about them in my sleep,” the 69-year-old said. “He’s incredibly smart and charming and is very developed verbally. He teaches me things all the time and I sometimes forget that he is only 9 years old,” Zichri said.There has been an outpouring of local and international support. The Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Herzog, launched an international social media campaign, calling on people to send him virtual birthday cards.
“I wish I could celebrate with him today. But it feels no different. It’s just wake up and worry,” he said. “And every day it gets worse.”
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