Israeli mum begs for son's release as she views hostage footage
Mother’s plea that will strike at the heart of any parent: Crying Israeli begs for her son’s release as she is shown footage of him held hostage by Hamas – ‘He looks so frightened, he is all alone’
- Orit Meir, the mother of 21-year-old Almog Meir Jan, speaks of her anguish
- Almog was among those taken hostage from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7
- Follow every update in the Israel-Hamas conflict on MailOnline’s live blog HERE
This is the moment a distraught Israeli mother wept as she begged for her son’s release while being shown footage of him cowering from his Hamas captors.
Almog Meir Jan, 21, was at the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im when Hamas launched their deadly assault into Israel from Gaza on October 7, in which more than 200 were taken hostage on a day that saw around 1,400 deaths.
Heartbreaking footage shows his mother, Orit Meir, in her home with other devastated family members, speaking of the pain they are suffering.
Orit wept as she described how she saw her son looking terrified in the Hamas video and sent him a message of love and support.
While shedding tears she remarked: ‘When I saw the video clip I saw his face, he covered himself but he was looking frightened, frightened.
Almog Meir Jan, 21, (pictured right in the hostage video) was at the Nova music festival when Hamas launched their deadly assault into Israel from Gaza on October 7, Heartbreaking footage shows his mother, Orit Meir, in her home with other devastated family members, speaking of the pain she is suffering
‘It was very hard for me to see him like this, ‘cos it’s not my son, you know, my son is a happy guy.
‘All the time, smile and we laugh together and he has lots of friends. Suddenly, to see him in a situation like this alone, by himself…wow.’
She continued: ‘My life is not the same. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep. All the time I am thinking about him. Where he is lying, if he is eating.’
Orit said her son called her to tell her he was hiding during the terrifying attack and would ring her every half hour, but said that she has not heard from him since then.
She cried as she sent him an emotional message of support and described her shock at seeing him cowering and covering his face with his hands in the video, which was sent to her by one of his friends.
‘Almog, if you see me I want you to know, we are doing everything, everything to bring you back,’ she says, her voice breaking with emotion.
Orit wept as she described how she saw him looking terrified in a Hamas video and sent him a message of love and support
Orit sat beside her husband on the sofa wearing t-shirts bearing the message: ‘Kidnapped! Coming Home’
‘Be strong, you know we love you. I send you lots of strength. We do everything we can.’
Orit is sat on the sofa dressed in a white t-shirt with a picture of her son accompanied by a note that says: ‘Kidnapped! Coming Home.’
The video shows a few glimpses of her apartment, as the camera pans over to a poster and a t-shirt calling for her son’s release.
The father has, ‘Bring my son home,’ written on the back of his t-shirt. The family can be seen sat around in the living room, appearing to pick over details of the video.
At one point, Orit’s trembling hand can be seen as she speaks off camera.
Orit said: ‘My life is not the same. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep. All the time I am thinking about him. Where he is lying, if he is eating’
The video shows a few glimpses of her apartment, with a poster and a t-shirt calling for her son’s release
There are several picture of Almog dotted around the home as the family pray for his return
Reliving the terror of the October 7 invasion she says: ‘In the morning, on Saturday morning at quarter to eight he called me and he said, “Mum did you hear the news.” I said, “No, you are just waking me up.” He said, “Mum, there are rockets all over, shooting and the army closed the party, I don’t know what’s going on, I’m hiding. I will be in contact with you every half an hour. I love you.” This was the last time I heard from him.
‘After a few hours, one of his friends recognised him from a videoclip that Hamas published. She sent it to me, I recognised Almog he was lying on the floor in a small room with other five young guys, they were tied by their hands.
‘Almog was alive and he covered his face with his hands and he was frightened, frightened. Then I knew he was in Hamas’ hands, that he was kidnapped.’
In the video, a male family member later says: ‘He’s a boy. A 21-year-old boy who went to a party and found himself kidnapped by Hamas, that did some actions worse than ISIS.
‘He is in a terrible place in the world and he just went to party. Nothing political, just humanitarian. Every mother would like that her son to come back from parties.’
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