Son of Hamas hostage

Pontiff’s letter: “The Pope is praying for my dad”

Naveh (8) shows the letter from Pope Francis himself from his visit to Vienna.

(Bild: Reinhard Holl)

The family of the Austrian-Israeli dual citizen Tal Shoham, who was abducted by Hamas, is currently in Vienna. In their luggage: a touching letter from the Pontiff!

"My prayers are with you, especially for your father Tal, and I sincerely hope that you will soon be able to embrace him again." These are words that give strength. And they don't come from just anyone, but from the pen of the Holy Father. They are addressed to a courageous young man who, despite his tender age of eight, has already been through hell.

Boy (8) abducted with his family
On October 7, when Islamist hordes attacked the state of Israel and killed more than 1,200 people (see info box below), Naveh's life also took a dramatic turn. Together with his parents and his little sister, the boy was abducted to the Gaza Strip. His father Tal Shoham is still in the hands of the terrorists.

Held hostage for 250 days

• On 7 October, heavily armed hordes of the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas invaded the state of Israel, slaughtered more than 1200 people and abducted around 250 men, women and children in the Gaza Strip. Among them were the Austrian-Israeli dual citizen Tal Shoam, his wife and their two children. The father was separated from his family.
• Israel responded to the unprecedented terrorist attack with a major military offensive, which resulted in a ceasefire and prisoner exchange. During this time, Naveh and his little sister Yahel (4) and mother Adi were released. However, there is still no trace of Tal Shoham.
• A few days ago, the Israeli military succeeded in freeing four hostages from the clutches of Hamas - a glimmer of hope in the fight for the lives of those abducted. Around 120 people are still being held by the terrorists. Among them is Naveh's beloved father.

250 endless days of captivity
But what can an eight-year-old do in the face of terror and the turmoil of war? An appeal to the world, for example: So, with the support of his mother, he wrote a letter to the Pope - about his grief, his sadness, the endless worries about his father that were breaking his heart. In the hope that Francis would continue to work for the release of the hostages and for peace.

The father of Naveh (8) is still in the hands of Hamas.

(Bild: Reinhard Holl)

(Bild: Reinhard Holl)

And indeed: a reply from the Pontiff recently fluttered into Naveh's mailbox. The pupil took the letter with him to Vienna, where he proudly presented it to the "Krone" newspaper on Tuesday (see video above). Together with his mother Adi, his four-year-old sister Yahel and grandfather Gilad Korngold, the boy is currently in the Austrian capital - the home of his ancestors, who were once expelled by the Nazis. 

Chancellor contacted via cell phone
Naveh's grandfather's cell phone rings during the interview in the center of Vienna. It was Austria's Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer, with whom Korngold had already met during his last visit to Vienna in December.

For the Federal Government and for me as Federal Chancellor, the release of Tal Shoam remains an absolute priority. To this end, I am using all talks with political decision-makers from the Middle East to secure his return to his family

Bundeskanzler Karl Nehammer

Bild: APA/Helmut Fohringer

The head of government once again encouraged the family and assured them that he would exhaust all possibilities: "The release of Tal Shoham remains an absolute priority for the Federal Government and for me as Federal Chancellor. To this end, I am using all talks with political decision-makers from the Middle East to achieve his return to his family," says Nehammer.