ATLANTA — A Georgia man is preparing to travel to Israel to visit his son who has been fighting in the Hamas-Israel war.
David Asarnow looks forward to hugging his son.
For the past month and a half, his son Josh has been a member of the IDF fighting in the Hamas-Israel war.
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“Every time I look at my cell phone, I’m checking my cell phone to see if we have a message from him.” Asarnow said, “That little update means he’s okay, even if it’s just a text message.”
David’s son Josh graduated from Walton High School and joined the IDF as a “Lone Soldier” after college. It means they are a soldier with no family in Israel. According to the Friends of the IDF, more than 30 Georgia natives are serving as “lone soldiers” right now in Israel.
“In the past two weeks, I haven’t gotten more sleep, I’ve probably gotten less,” Asarnow said.
However, ABC News reports Hamas and Israel agreed to a temporary ceasefire. The agreement would lead to the release of hostages in exchange for a 4-day ceasefire, the release of prisoners, and humanitarian aid.
Israel has reportedly indicated they would be willing to extend the ceasefire one day for every additional 10 hostages released.
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“I want it to be true. I want to believe it is true,” Asarnow said.
However, the father has doubts if the temporary peace will take effect.
“Is there going to be a roadblock? Is there going to be an obstacle?” He said.
In the meantime, David and his family look forward to calls with their son, trying to bring a sense of normalcy.
“The last thing you want to do is have them worry about you worrying,” Asarnow said. “You want to be the safe place they want to reach out to.”
The family hopes lasting peace will come soon for the benefit of everyone overseas.
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“I think everyone in the world wants that. No one wants war; no one wants innocent people to die anywhere in the world,” Asarnow said.
The family says since we first talked with them, they have received support from friends, family, and coworkers.
As for the hug, Asarnow says he booked a ticket to visit Israel to see his son next month.
“It means everything,” Asarnow said.
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