Itongadol.- Three days after being reported missing in the Jerusalem Forest while hiking with a friend, the family of 23-year-old American yeshiva student Aaron Sofer said they are dissatisfied with the progress of the search, and demanded military intervention.
Despite hundreds of police officers, volunteers and the emergency response and rescue organizations ZAKA and United Hatzalah actively searching for Sofer since Saturday, no clues as to his whereabouts have surfaced as of Monday evening.
“A physically, mentally and emotionally healthy young man does not go missing for 72 hours,” said Sofer family spokesman, Dov Hirth on Monday. “The family is not satisfied with the way the search and rescue operation has been handled thus far.”
Moreover, Hirth cited the Muhammad Abu Khdeir murder in the same forest last month, allegedly by Jewish assailants, compounded by heightened tensions with Palestinians, as cause for alarm.
“It’s well known that a murder took place in that forest, and especially with the ongoing tensions with Palestinians, we feel there should be a military presence and involvement in the search for Aaron,” he said.