The World Jewish Congress in March launched a petition to the International Committee of the Red Cross to secure the return of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers who were killed in action during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, and whose bodies are still being held by Hamas. The petition calls for the ICRC's immediate intervention on securing the return of the bodies of IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul as a humanitarian cause in line with international law and the Geneva Conventions, and already been signed by 10,300 supporters since its launch 2.5 months ago.
Aviram Shaul, the brother of Oron, visited the WJC offices in New York last month as part of his US speaking tour for a discussion with Jewish communal leaders on the efforts being made to secure his brother's return.
Shaul urged the Jewish communal leaders to speak out as much as possible about the plight of his family and the Goldins, at every event, to campaign for the soldiers’ release. “For these two families, the war is not over. It is just beginning,” said Michal Hershkovitz, a member of the Israel Defense Forces’ Missing Person unit, who is accompanying Shaul on his visit to the United States.
Evelyn Sommer, Chair of World Jewish Congress North America, said: “The families of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin deserve to know all the details of the fates of their sons and the international community is obligated to compel Hamas, which is in blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions, to return their sons to them without any further delay. The World Jewish Congress will continue to advocate strongly for this – our hearts are with these families.”
For more information on the petition:
