U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro visited the parents of 16-year-old Naftali Fraenkel, the Israeli high school student who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists along with two other Israeli teenagers. The Fraenkels hold dual Israeli-American citizenship.

Shapiro said he “offered the strong support of the US government, our people, and my own personal support in all the efforts to bring Naftali, Gil-Ad, and Eyal home.”

The U.S. has “a special responsibility in the case of an American citizen,” Shapiro said.

Fraenkel, Gil-Ad Shayer and Eyal Yifrah were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists who have eluded a massive manhunt by Israeli security forces.

Fraenkel’s aunt, Itael, described her son as “a kid full of happiness and smiles. We are optimistic; we really hope to see him home soon.”

During his visits to America, Naftali would visit his aunt and uncle in Brooklyn and other family members, as most of his family still lives in America. One of his cousins, Manny Halberstam, is organizing a vigil outside the White House “to send a strong message to President Obama that what is going on in Israel is not isolated to Israel but touches and concerns us in America.”

[Photo: The Israel Project / Noam Moscowitz]