Hamas hostages’ family members warn Congress that time is running out

The American families of hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas are issuing urgent warnings that time is running out to get their loved ones back from captivity, amid the expiration of a tenuous truce between Israel and Hamas that has seen more than 80 people released. 

The parents of three young men, dual citizens serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), urged members of Congress on Wednesday to increase pressure on the Israeli government, the global community and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to make freeing the hostages the priority agenda item in the war between Israel and Hamas. 

“Time is ticking, and it’s not in our favor,” said Ruby Chen, the father of 19-year-old Itay Chen, who is believed to be held by Hamas.

Ruby Chen said the main message of the families is that all pressure needs to be focused on prioritizing the release of the hostages, “then we deal with Hamas. It’s an important distinction that we the families want to convey here as well.” 

It’s not yet clear how negotiations for Hamas to release the men and Israeli soldiers will play out, or whether their American citizenship will work in their favor or raise the price on their release. At least four Americans have been released by Hamas out of 10 whom the administration has said it was tracking.

More than 80 hostages, mostly women and children, kidnapped by Hamas have been released back to Israel since Nov. 24, following intensive negotiations between the U.S., Israel, Egypt, Qatar and Hamas.

Under the terms of the deal, Hamas and Israel initially agreed to a pause in fighting to allow for 50 hostages to be released over four days, 150 Palestinian prisoners to be let out of Israeli jails and a surge of humanitarian support into the Gaza Strip.

Israel and Hamas agreed to an additional day of cease-fire for each 10 hostages who were freed, with more Palestinian prisoners identified for release. The extended pause allows for more humanitarian aid into the strip.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is eliminated, in opposition to urgent calls by much of the international community and aid groups that a long-term cease-fire must be put in place to protect civilians caught in the fighting. President Biden has not backed such calls for a general cease-fire but started to warn that “war is to give Hamas what they seek.”

Hamas has held hostages for more than 50 days. Accounts of the conditions of captivity are beginning to emerge, the only details so far available since Hamas has blocked the ICRC from making contact with hostages. Families of freed hostages have told the media that their loved ones were held in near darkness, underground, for more than six weeks, had lost weight from lack of food and were never given the chance to shower. One woman said her 12-year-old nephew was forced by Hamas to watch videos of their Oct. 7 massacre and threatened at gunpoint if he turned away.

Hamas initially agreed to releasing children and women hostages first but has also released foreign nationals — South Asian immigrant workers in Israel — and at least one Israeli man with dual Russian citizenship.

The prisoners whom Israel has agreed to release include Palestinian women and teenagers. 

But Hamas may try extracting a steeper price from the Israeli government in releasing Israeli men and Israeli soldiers.

Hamas used the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006 to secure the release of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, included among them the group's current military head Yahya Sinwar, described as the architect of the Oct. 7 attack. 

Hamas still holds the bodies of two Israeli soldiers from the 2014 war with Israel, Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, and has kept in captivity Israeli Avera Mengistu for nine years after he reportedly crossed into Gaza in September 2014. 

The American parents of the Israeli soldiers did not address at the roundtable on Wednesday how high are the stakes to see their sons freed, but Ruby Chen said he had earlier met with the ICRC in Washington.

“We were thankful for what they’ve done but also critical about the fact that they have not been vocal,” Chen told The Hill.

He said the response of ICRC officials to his criticisms was that “they believe they are more efficient when being discreet and we said that being discreet is not working in this unique situation.”

“They are the ones that see the hostages when they are released, what status they are in — they are underfed, they are dirty, meaning not kept in a good condition,” Chen continued. “And they need to be able to convey to the international community that they are asking to go in and do their mission statement…They cannot be quiet about that.” 

The ICRC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill. But the organization has pointed to their role as a “neutral, intermediary” as important in helping transfer hostages that Hamas has decided to release. 

The silence surrounding whether their sons are alive or dead is “unimaginable,” said Ronen Neutra, whose 22-year-old son Omer is believed to be held by Hamas. Omer, from Plainview, N.Y., deferred admission to Binghamton University to serve in the IDF and was stationed at a guard post near the Gaza border that was overrun by Hamas on Oct. 7. 

“When I spoke with Omer on Friday night, Oct. 6, in our last conversation he indicated that he was looking forward to a quiet and peaceful weekend after a really stressful month protecting the border,” Ronen said.

Orna Neutra, Omer’s mother, said they have not had any sign of life for their son. 

“Fifty-four days since the last sign of life, can you imagine?” she asked. It truly is unimaginable. Unimaginable that something like the events of Oct. 7 could even take place. Unimaginable that after 54 days, not only is he still held hostage, but that the Red Cross has not been allowed access. Unimaginable that we take comfort in the fact that he was taken hostage and not murdered on that day.”

Yael Alexander, her 19-year-old son Eden also a soldier and believed to be held hostage, said she spoke with Eden on the morning of Oct. 7 as bombs began exploding around the base he was manning near the border with Gaza. 

“He called me and he told me ‘mom we’re getting a lot of bombs, it’s like war here,’ I was so surprised that something like that could happen, everything seems like, fine, you know? I’m thankful that I spoke with him before they took him,” she said, pausing, “and that’s it. I’m just hoping that he will come home to us.” 

Liz Naftali-Hirsch, who’s 4-year-old great-niece Abigail Edan was released from Hamas captivity on Sunday, talked about the toll captivity took on the toddler and raised concern for the soldiers, in particular female soldiers, amid reports that Hamas members inflicted grievous sexual violence against those people they attacked and killed in Israel on Oct. 7.

“Some people might say, ‘Liz why are you still here? You won the lotto, your relative is home with her family,” she said, “but what I’m here to say is that these people who are here speaking about their American sons, those folks in Israel and around the world who are waiting for their loved ones to come back, we’re now a family, we are here for each other.”

“I also want to bring out that there are young women, we have to get out of there because I will not say what is happening, but we all know what is happening to young women, they need to come out.”

Republican and Democratic members of Congress, attending a roundtable with the families, said they spoke with one voice in supporting Biden’s efforts to secure the hostages’ release. The previous day, the House voted near-unanimously to approve a resolution calling for all the hostages to be released. 

“We stand united with you as Americans on this committee, we put our partisanship aside,” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said at the opening of the roundtable discussion. 

“I will say I am proud of this administration for standing with Israel. We are Americans first, and we need to bring more of our American hostages home. We’ve only brought one home, I credit the administration, leaders of Congress, thank you to countries like Qatar, we have to get our American citizens home into safety.”