Father of captured Israeli soldier begs for information

The father of an Israeli soldier snatched by Lebanese guerrillas today appealed to the captors to make their demands known so he can at least be assured his son is alive.

No word has been heard from Ehud Goldwasser, 31, and fellow reservist Eldad Regev, 26, since they were captured July 12 by Hezbollah guerrillas who attacked their patrol on the Israeli side of the Lebanese border.

In response, Israel launched a massive military offensive in Lebanon, while Hezbollah launched waves of rockets into northern Israeli towns, including Nahariya, a town six miles south of the border where Ehud Goldwasser and his bride of one month have their home.

Ehud Goldwasser’s father, Shlomo, 59, said he was desperate for word on his son’s condition.

“I’m not a politician. I can speak only as a father,” he said. “I’m hoping the kidnappers will make demands to prove that my son is OK.”

The family has previously asked for the guerrillas to let international humanitarian organisations visit Ehud Goldwasser so they can find out their condition.

Shlomo Goldwasser and one of sons, Yair, 26, both urged the Israeli government to do all it could to free Ehud. But they refused to propose specific actions regarding Hezbollah or the Israeli offensive in Lebanon.

“I recommend that the government do everything in its powers to free the hostages. I trust it completely. Whatever the government decides is a good idea,” Yair Goldwasser said.

They refused to follow the path of the family of another captured Israeli soldier.

On June 25, Hamas-linked militants in the Gaza Strip attacked an Israeli army outpost in southern Israel, killing two soldiers and capturing 19-year-old Cpl. Gilad Shalit.

Israel has rejected demands by Hezbollah and Hamas for a large-scale release of Palestinian and Hezbollah prisoners, in exchange for information about the three Israeli captives. The government has demanded their unconditional release.

But on July 6, Shalit’s father, Noam, urged the Israeli government to consider releasing Palestinian prisoners in exchange for his son, saying Israel already had been considering such as swap.

“Everything has a price. I don’t think there will be some sort of move to free Gilad without a price. That’s not the way it works in the Middle East,” said Noam Shalit. “There is no reason not to consider this after this incident in order to free someone who was sent by the state to the front lines,” he said.