Israeli Father Recalls Panicked Phone Call Before His Wife and 2 Young Girls Were Kidnapped and Taken to Gaza

Yoni Asher last spoke to his wife on Saturday morning, when she told him over the phone that there were "terrorists inside the house" before the line went dead

An Israeli father is sharing details about his final phone call with his wife before she and their two young daughters were reportedly kidnapped during Hamas militants' invasion on Saturday.

Yoni Asher, 37, said he spoke with his 34-year-old wife, Doron Asher Katz, on the phone early Saturday morning while she was visiting her mother's house with their daughters Raz, 5, and Aviv, 3.

Yoni told The New York Times that during the phone call, Doron whispered that there had been a home intrusion and she was hiding in a safe room with her mother and the girls. “She told me, ‘There are terrorists inside the house.'"

Doron's mother has a partner, Gadi Moses, who attempted to make peace with the intruders while the others hid. “She said they left and they took [Moses] with them,” Yoni added. Then, the call was cut off.

Related: CBS Mornings' Tony Dokoupil Says His Children in Israel Are Safe amid Hamas Attacks: 'Roller Coaster Weekend'

Yoni said that he tracked his wife’s phone afterward and saw that it was transported to Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza — leaving him fearing his family had been kidnapped also.

His fears were seemingly realized when he recognized his wife and daughters in a video shared on social media, which showed people being carted onto the back of a truck by gunmen as a woman resembling his wife was blindfolded.

The father of two said that his mother-in-law, Efrat Katz, 67, also appeared to be on the truck.

“Later on when I saw the video there was no doubt,” Yoni told CNN. “My wife and my two little daughters were on this cart. I know for sure they are taken.”

Related: Israeli Defense Minister Calls for ‘Complete Siege’ of Gaza Strip Two Days After Hamas' Surprise Attack

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Saturday that the country is “at war" after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack over the weekend. Approximately 2,200 rockets were fired in the attacks from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, CNN reported.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shared, per CNN, that Hamas took “hostages and prisoners of war."

Yoni is now pleading for authorities to help bring his family home. “Please help us,” he said, per CNN. “We are begging for your help for you if you can do something.”

Related: Joe Biden Offers Support to Israel as Prime Minister Says 'We Are at War' After Hamas Attack

Elad Strohmayer, the director of congressional affairs for Israel's Foreign Ministry, acknowledged the missing family on X on Saturday.

“The family of Doron and her two daughters, Raz and Aviv, saw how they were kidnapped into Gaza by Hamas terrorists,” he wrote. “Their family asked to share this so everyone will know the truth. There are many more Israelis who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. Israel is under a heinous terror attack.”

The death toll in the unprecedented Hamas attack is thought to now have reached over 1,100, NBC News reported on Monday.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.