The families of the American-Israeli hostages in Gaza met with United States Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Wednesday as part of his Congressional delegation to Israel this week.
Senator Graham had met with the families of the hostages before, and they expressed their gratitude for the ongoing dialogue with them and his continued advocacy for the release of all of the hostages.
During the meeting, Senator Graham and the families discussed the importance of securing the immediate release of all the remaining hostages.
The families asked the senator to do everything within his power to help bring home all the men, women, and children who are still currently in Hamas captivity. Eight American citizens are being held in Gaza, including six living hostages and the bodies of two killed hostages.
There was great concern for the safety of the hostages as injuries, abuse, and sexual violence have been reported. A number of hostages have already been killed in captivity. The families stressed that a tipping point had been reached in negotiations and urged the US to push for a deal to be reached before it is too late.
Senator Graham voiced his support for the families and his hope that all of the hostages will soon be reunited with their loved ones. He also discussed the importance of maintaining a strong alliance between the US and Israel.
The families thanked Senator Graham for taking the time to meet with them and for his commitment to bringing their loved ones home. They stated that they look forward to meeting with other Members of Congress as part of ongoing delegation visits throughout the week.
The following family members of American hostages attended the meeting:
- Ruby and Hagit Chen, parents of Itay Chen
- Ronen and Orna Neutra, parents of Omer Neutra
- Lee and Sheli Siegel and Yuval Baron, family of Keith Samuel Siegel
- Yael Alexander and Iris Schwartz, mother and family of Edan Alexander
- Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin
- Liz Naftali, great-aunt of released hostage Abigail Mor Edan