Outside the Red Cross in Geneva on Friday, Assaf Shem Tov clutched a picture of his 21-year-old nephew who was abducted by Palestinian group Hamas and called on the international community to step up efforts to free Israeli hostages.

The nephew, Omer Shem Tov, was at a festival in Kibbutz Reim near the Gaza Strip when he was abducted. His family was told by authorities that he was in Gaza but have heard nothing since.

“I think that we need the Red Cross to first of all visit the hostages, make sure that they are well treated,” he said. “Make sure that they get human rights, and act as fast as possible for them to come back home.”

“Any civilised country should put as much pressure as they can for the release of the hostages,” said Michal Dorset, aunt of hostage Romi Gonen, who was abducted and taken to Gaza when trying to escape a nature festival.