'Our mission is to keep them in people's minds'

"Who decides what price is too much to pay for human life? My son, as a soldier, entered a minefield to save an officer wounded by a mine. He could have paid for that action with his life. Is that too high a

price?" asked Yaakov Avitan of a group of Israeli youths from a volunteer organization for the kidnapped Israeli soldiers.

Avitan's son, Adi, was kidnapped by Hizbullah in 2000. His body was returned to Israel three years later.

The emotional encounter was shared by family members of Omar Sawaid, who shared the same fate as Avitan and Majdi Halabi, who Druze soldier who disappeared in 2005. No group has ever claimed responsibility for his disappearance and it is unclear if he was indeed kidnapped.

Also in attendance was Zvi Regev - father of reserve soldier Eldad Regev who was kidnapped by Hizbullah in 2006 along with Ehud Goldwasser. The incident sparked the beginning of the Second Lebanon War.

Regev told the youths of his life before the kidnapping and said everything had come to a standstill for his family ever since then.

"On July 12th 2006 Ehud and Eldad were taken into Lebanese territory and every since then we've been in the dark. We don't have a shred of information regarding their wellbeing and we pray for a sign of life, for their return. There is not a moment that goes by that I don't miss him," he said.

"And we're doing all we can, wandering the globe to meet with whoever can help to try and obtain some information."

Regev said that the families draw strength from the support they receive from the many public bodies striving to keep the issue on the national agenda.

Avitan: Sharon made brave, difficult decisions

Avitan also addressed the efforts being made by the families to bring their sons home and rejected the claim that releasing prisoners who have been convicted of murder is too steep a price to pay for their return.

The life of IDF soldiers taken by the enemy has no price, he said, especially considering Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's announcement that Israel would release 90 Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture.

"Today the government decided to release 90 prisoners in exchange for nothing. So the problem is releasing prisoners? And then there are those who say the released prisoners will return to terror – does anyone think that (Hizbullah director general) Hassan Nasrallah is lacking in terrorists? Why won't Nasrallah negotiate? Why is he in no hurry to free Lebanese prisoners in Israel? Because he is not short on soldiers," said Avitan.

He also said that his son's body and those of the two other soldiers killed and kidnapped with him were only returned thanks to the efforts of then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

"There were some brave and difficult decisions that needed to be made, I don't know if anyone else could have made them. I fear that just as there is no information regarding Ron Arad or those missing after the battle of Sultan Yacoub – so will be the fate of our sons."

Samih Halabi said that raising awareness of his cousin's plight is extremely difficult given the puzzling circumstances of his disappearance.

"We turn to the media and ask that they put it back on the agenda, but their first question is – what has changed. And nothing has changed. Majdi is still missing," he said.