Or Asraf still missing in Nepal.
IDF soldier wounded in Gaza now missing in Nepal
Or Asraf, who was wounded during a battle in Operation Protective Edge, one of 16 Israelis still 'out of contact' in Nepal; his parents greeted returning Israelis to find any information about their son.
As a group of 216 Israelis who had survived the Nepal earthquake arrived in Israel on Tuesday on an El Al plane, not everyone waiting in the arrivals terminal could breathe a sigh of relief.
Orit and Patrick Asraf came to greet the Israelis who returned in order to find out if any of them had information about their 22-year-old son, Or Asraf, who is among the 16 Israelis who are still "out of contact."
Or Asraf (left) in Nepal and his mother Orit with sign at airport.
Or, who had been wounded during Operation Protective Edge where he fought with the Egozi Brigade, had set out on a trek in Nepal's Langtang region the morning the quake hit.
The Asraf's last heard from their son a week before the earthquake. Or had been moderately wounded during a battle in Saja'iya and later returned to his unit to complete his mandatory service. Four months ago, he set out for an after army trip abroad and was scheduled to return to Israel in July.
Israelis greet family upon return from Nepal. (Photo: Yaron Brenner)
Or's parents held up a sign at the airport that read: "Did anyone see Or Asraf?"
Orit and Patrick hoped that maybe someone returning would be able to shed light on their son's whereabouts.
"We are very worried, we don't know who he traveled to that area with and do not know if he traveled with Israelis," said his mother Orit.
Israeli woman greets family upon return from Nepal. (Photo: Yaron Brenner)
To Orit and Patrick's dismay, none of the arriving travelers had any information about their son. "We met two travelers who saw him before he left for the trek from Kathmandu," said Orit. "We know that they were on the flight and we came to get more information."
Or's parents have become especially concerned ever since their son's satellite device stopped giving a signal. "We know the device is closed and therefore it's very worrying. I'm sure he will come back and I am trying to get as much information as possible so that he can be rescued," said his mother.
"We put up pictures of him on every possible post…he is a strong man and resourceful," said his father.
"We really ask that anyone who saw him after the earthquake make contact with us. There are many who saw him before and it's misleading. The goal is to see which group he is with and give the information to the insurance company," said his mother Orit.
On Tuesday, several insurance companies rescued Israelis from various regions in Nepal, including the Langtang region, Mount Everest and the border region between Nepal and Tibet.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman in Nepal, Alon Lavi, said that the Nepalese army agreed to supply a large military helicopter to extract the rest of the Israelis. The Deputy Director General of the Foreign Ministry in Asia Mark Sofer and Israeli ambassador to Nepal Yaron Meir spoke with the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Nepalese army and agreed to increase the recovery effort.
The Deputy Chief of Staff dispatched military units to protect Israelis still missing after reports of violence against them.
