On Wednesday in Israel, Chancellor Karl Nehammer met, among others, with Gilad Korngold, father of a missing Austrian citizen. He also took a clear position: “Israel has the right to defend itself.”
After his meeting with the Federal Chancellor, Gilad Korngold addressed the press representatives who gathered at the Austrian embassy in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv. On October 7, during the massive Hamas terrorist attack, the 62-year-old’s world collapsed. The terrorists kidnapped his son Tal, who has Israeli and Austrian citizenship, as well as his wife, his two sons and several of his daughter-in-law’s relatives – at least that’s what Korngold suspects: he received no sign of life from anyone. of them since their disappearance. Korngold’s hopes now rest with the Austrian government working to secure his release. “We are a strong family,” he said, and then, after speaking calmly and serenely for a quarter of an hour, tears came to his eyes at the end. “I want her back.”
The meeting with Korngold made a visible impression on Chancellor Karl Nehammer. “What moved me most,” he said when he appeared on camera Wednesday night, just minutes after Korngold, “was the meeting with the father of the Austro-Israeli hostages.” Seeing a father who doesn’t know how his son, daughter-in-law or granddaughters are doing is “incredibly depressing”.