Shlomi Berger, the father of 19-year-old abducted Lake Berger, who is held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, was interviewed by the American news network CNN and spoke about the difficulties faced by the families of the abductees in Israel.
The interviewer, Jake Tapper, opened the interview on a personal note and told the father: "Shlomi, I can't imagine what it's like for you and your family, I have a 16-year-old daughter, and I'm sure it's total torture for you. How do you manage to cope?"
"In Israel, it's midnight now. For us, it means nothing. We don't go to bed until 3am. Waking up all night. I want to tell you, I have no idea where my daughter is, I have no idea what her physical or mental state is. It's so hard as a father, we feel helpless," Berger said.
Waiting for Berger Lake in the Square of the Abductees, Photo: Gettyimages
Berger explains to the American reporter: "I have no way of knowing where my daughter is. I know that Hamas uses sexual violence against women. And my daughter is a young woman. As a father, I can't bear the thought that she's in the hands of these monsters. I have three other children. Lake has a twin sister and another brother and sister. The family is torn, my children walk around the house not knowing what to do with themselves. Some of them go to school but they can't learn."
"Put pressure on Qatar,"
he said, referring to the trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, and asking Berger how he feels when his country is on trial while his daughter is in captivity. "As we said in Israel, the world has gone crazy. People don't understand, or don't want to understand what happened here. A second Holocaust happened to us in Israel. We have 136 abductees inside Gaza. How can people talk about such crimes in our situation, do not understand it. Why doesn't anyone talk about the abductees? Because they're Jews?" replies Berger.
"I'm not a diplomat, I'm not a military man. I don't know what the right thing to do right now. They don't want to be in my place and I don't want to be in their place. It's a crazy situation but I know one thing. I don't want to talk about Netanyahu and policy because I don't understand policy. I know my daughter is there, on Sunday it will be for <> days. Apart from Netanyahu, the United States can do a lot to help us," Berger said, when asked about the Israeli government's handling of the hostage issue.
"The most important thing the United States can do is pressure Qatar, which backs and funds Hamas. I want to say, put pressure on Qatar, it is the most important player, they can get Hamas to stop this situation and bring back the hostages," Berger told the American reporter.
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