Families of seven American-Israeli hostages remain confident in the Biden administration's commitment to ensuring any ceasefire deal includes the release of all remaining hostages, they said Friday morning during a press conference in New York, marking six months since October 7.
The families gathered at the American Jewish Committee's headquarters with New York Reps. Mike Lawler (R) and Dan Goldman (D) plead with the international community to pressure Qatar, Hamas, and Israel to come to a deal.
The six-month mark comes amid a breaking point in tensions between Jerusalem and Washington as the Biden administration publicly scolded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and threatened a change in US policy should Israel not drastically change its humanitarian efforts and war tactics in Gaza. Biden firmly told Netanyahu to accept a deal now.
The humanitarian crisis that has unfolded as a consequence of the war is separate from the ultimate objective of the war effort, Goldman said, and is separate from the discussion about the hostages, about Hamas, and about Israel's right to self-defense.
"I think what the President expressed to Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday was an emphasis on Israel's approach to the humanitarian crisis, which is insufficient," Goldman said. "And that is true. But that does not mean that Israel's right to defend itself does not exist. It does not mean that Israel does not have the right to defend itself by attacking Hamas if Hamas will not surrender and will not return the hostages."
The two concepts need to be seperate, Goldman said.
There's no question that Israel has a responsibility to provide aid and food to the civilians in Gaza who have been displaced and are now refugees, Goldman said.
"But Hamas also needs to stop this war and recognize that they are continuing the destruction and the violence by holding on to hostages and bodies that they are treating terribly," he added.
Lawler said he didn't know how there could be a ceasefire in the absence of releasing the hostages.
"I think the administration needs to be very clear in its position on that," Lawler said. "I also think the administration needs to put more pressure on the Qatari government to help get a deal done. As the families pointed out here, these negotiations have been longer than six months."
Orna Neutra, mother of hostage Omer Neutra, said the families are running out of time.
"For six months, we've been screaming their names," Neutra said. "We are tired of hearing about progress towards a deal; we don't have time for progress. We need a resolution."
The Biden administration needs to pull every lever they can to pressure Qatar, Hamas and Israel to strike a deal, Neutra said.
"We won't give up on you Omer," she said. "We love you."
We won't give up on you
Ruby Chen, father of killed American hostage Itay Chen, said he is urging the Biden administration to understand there is no time left for the living and no time left for the deceased.
Chen said he will not sit shiva for his son until Itay is returned back to his family and properly buried.
Chen praised the Biden administration for its decisiveness this week in condemning the strikes that killed the seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen. Chen also praised Biden for his support after Itay's death was announced, saying he received personal phone calls from the president, Vice President Kamala Harris, and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, lost 34 members of his extended family on October 7. He said that day, Hamas won, but Israel and the rest of the world cannot let Hamas win in the long term.
"That means the hostages have to come home. The suffering of a million and a half Gazans must end as well. We feel it, we know it. We weep for that kind of suffering," Dekel-Chen said. "But as of October 7, getting here to this moment is the tragic outcome of the kind of murder and brutality that the world shouldn't see and must not see again."
"For that we ask for the help of the international community, the Biden administration, and of course, the courage of our own leaders in Israel to make the hard sacrifices in order to not sacrifice our loved ones a second time," he said.
Dekel-Chen said the families have received complete solidarity and support from the Biden administration in the past six months. He said nothing in the last 24 or 48 hours has made him think the administration has changed its conviction toward working for the release of all hostages.
"And I think I can speak in this case for all of us; we've all been struck by the respect and access that we've been granted by the Biden administration in general, as hostage families," Dekel-Chen said. "And sadly, I have to say, it is in direct contrast to the same kind of access that we have not really been given by our own government. Those are the realities of the situation."