Who is Jay Zeitchek? Members of American family in Israel reportedly alive after being taken hostage by Hamas
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK: Jay Zeitchek, a 70-year-old from New Jersey whose relatives were taken hostage by Hamas in Israel, told the Daily Mail that the last words his family heard from them were, "I don't think we can survive, I love you." Jay and his daughter Alana have now been informed that their relatives are alive, giving hope to dozens of distraught families.
Six members of their family were among the community of 400 civilians at Nir Oz kibbutz present on the morning of October 7, out of whom a quarter is thought to have been killed.
However, Alana spotted them in a video of people being taken hostage by the Palestinian militant group, which is circulating on social media. After seeing the video, Alana put out an appeal for information on US television.
Members of Jay Zeitchek's family taken hostage by Hamas
The family members of Jay who got taken hostage include his niece, Sharon Cunio, 35, her husband David, 35, and their 3-year-old twins Emma and Julie, Sharon's elder sister Danielle Alony, 43, and her daughter Amelia, 5.
On October 12, Jay's daughter, Alana Zeitchek, put out an appeal for information on US television after spotting her relatives in a hostage video on social media.
Claiming to be on a phone call with her family during the Hamas attack, the Brooklyn resident told ABC, "Their house and their bomb shelters were filled with smoke. And this is what these terrorists had been doing."
She described the situation, "They were smoking people out as if they were rodents. And the smoke was starting to fill into the bomb shelter and on the phone with my aunt, my cousin said 'I don't think we can survive. I love you' and that was the last contact we've had with them."
Posting a picture of her family on Instagram, Alana captioned it, "When it comes to families I won the lottery with mine, and the love I have for them is immeasurable."
She further said in the caption, "On Saturday, Kibbutz Nir Oz was ravaged by terrorists and they were taken hostage by genocidal savages. A video began floating around on the news of hostages in a truck and we spotted them — I can see David crouched down holding one of their baby girls and I see Sharon and her hair from the back as she holds onto little Amelia so tightly."
She explained her horror at the video, writing, "This horrific scene will not stop replaying in my mind, alongside the memory of the back of her head just over a month ago in my kitchen while we laughed as I curled her hair for my brother's wedding."
She further said, "The agony I feel is nothing compared to what my aunt and uncle and their brother and in-laws are feeling, and the terror of which my cousins and their babies are experiencing is simply inconceivable. Please share their story, pray for their safe return and for the people of Israel."
Jay Zeitchek's family members who were taken hostage are reportedly alive
On October 13, Jay stated that the Israeli Defense Force had informed his family that all six of their relatives were alive, without revealing any further information or their sources.
Admitting that he feared what Hamas may do to their hostages should they begin to feel that Israel was about to "wipe them off the face of the earth." Jay said, "The most important thing is that they're alive. I have to have faith, and my family has to have faith, that they're going to come home to us."
"I believed from the beginning that they were alive. Even though you're dealing with irrational characters, that the hostages are taken for a reason," he added.
There have been growing fears for the fate of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza as Israel intensifies its bombing campaign on the territory. The military wing of Hamas has stated that the latest air strikes had killed 13 of the captives it brought back from Israel.