Nearly 200 days after Hamas kidnapped their loved ones on October 7, families of the eight Israeli-American hostages are growing frustrated that the White House has yet to present an alternative strategy for securing the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.
Ruby Chen, father of 19-year-old Itay Chen, whose body was taken into Gaza after he was murdered on October 7, reiterated the families’ appreciation for access to and communication with the Biden administration, which he said is unprecedented.
But as Hamas continues to turn down the deals put on the table, Chen is asking for Plan B. “We’re still waiting to hear what other alternatives the US administration has planned,” he said.
The families are also hearing the administration’s frustration with Hamas as they rejected the latest deal, which Ronen Neutra, father of 22-year-old hostage Omer Neutra, said was accepted by all parties including Egypt, Qatar and even Israel, which agreed to accept its hard terms.
Yet Hamas rejected it, Neutra said.
“This obviously is very concerning, and the administration is forced to think about creating ways to try and bring Hamas back to the table,” Chen said, “and help us get a deal that we all are so interested in, in order to see our kids back home and our families back home as soon as possible.”
The families are calling on the international community to move the pressure onto Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar.
“He’s the obstacle; he’s the problem,” Chen said.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin
Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of 23-year-old hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, questioned the silence from leaders of the 25 other countries whose citizens make up the remaining hostages.
She also questioned the absence of the interfaith community from their efforts as the hostages are comprised of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus. It gets lost in the noise that these people are diverse, she said.
“We need to galvanize people from all over the world, whether you have someone who is being held there from your country or not,” Goldberg-Polin said. “My question for you on the Eve of Passover in a few days is: Where are you?”
Sagui Dekel-Chen
Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of 35-year-old hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, said the world became an even more dangerous place after Israel fired on Isfahan, Iran, early Friday morning.
We’ve come to this place as a result of a chain reaction that began with Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, he said.
“Our entire region has been in danger and there’s been immense suffering. We’re completely aware and feel the need for relief for the citizens of Gaza. They are our neighbors,” he said. “And one day, perhaps, there can be peace.”
Dekel-Chen said the one way to de-escalate what has become an international event that endangers much of the world is to release the 133 hostages. This is something the international community must engage in, he said.
He said they’re asking the international community to bring “some kind of relief to the people of Gaza, to bring some sense back to this world and to restrain countries like Iran that had been working behind the scenes until now to create this scenario.”
Abigail Mor Edan
Liz Hirsh Naftali, great-aunt of released American hostage Abigail Mor Edan, joined the press conference en route to the bar mitzvah of the younger brother of Israeli-American hostage 19-year-old Edan Alexander.
“I bring it up to remind everybody through everything that’s been said, that these are human lives,” Naftali said. “These are individuals whose families have been broken and are separated, and they try to keep going on as they fight for the release of their loved ones.
“As we all throughout the world celebrate Passover, each of these families and hundreds more will not be able to have their loved ones at the table with them,” Naftali said. “They will not be able to hug them; they will not be able to celebrate once again.”