Thanksgiving in Gaza: 7 American hostages still held by Hamas terrorists as their families plead for their release

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Relatives of American hostages held by Hamas for nearly 420 days are once again imploring American and Israeli officials to demonstrate a sense of “urgency” to secure their freedom.

Seven of the 101 hostages held in Gaza are American, and their families, who will again attend another Thanksgiving dinner Thursday with an empty seat, are urging that their release be a priority.

“Our plea is that it is urgent, and I am not sure that we perceive a sense of urgency,” Orna Neutra, mother of Omer Neutra, who was 21 when he was kidnapped by Hamas on the 7 October 2023., but has since experienced two birthdays in captivity, Fox News Digital told Fox News.

“There were security issues that needed to be resolved in the north, with Hezbollah, with Iran. But at this point, the hostages which are a main war objective for the Israelis should be the first priority, and all needs to be done to resolve them,” she continued. “It's been very frustrating for us to keep up with this news cycle to make sure they don't get forgotten, to wait patiently, constantly, until other goals are met.”

Ronen and Orna Neutra, parents of American-Israeli citizen Omer Neutra held hostage in Gaza since the October 7 Hamas attack, watch as the Israeli-American Council (IAC) hosts an event to launch “Hostage Square Chicago,” an exhibition featuring works by Israeli and American artists dedicated to the memory of the victims of October 7, in the midst of the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Chicago, Illinois, August 20, 2024. (Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)

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Orna, her husband Ronen Neutra, and the families of other hostages still in Gaza have begun to question Netanyahu's strategy regarding the return of the hostages.

The Israeli prime minister has seen growing pressure, at home and abroad, from those calling on him to establish a ceasefire with Hamas and secure the release of the hostages.

Ceasefire negotiations have virtually collapsed. And although the Biden administration continues to push all parties to the table to end the war and secure the release of hostages, Israel's military campaign to defeat Hamas continues.

“It is extremely painful for us to see time passing and our son being held in terrible conditions and trying to survive,” said Omer's father Ronen. “The question is: what will we gain from a few more months of waiting under these conditions?”

An Israeli soldier secures a tunnel under the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City, as part of the Israeli army's ongoing ground operation against the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the northern Gaza Strip, on November 22, 2023. Reuters/Ronen Zvulun (Reuters/Ronen Zvulun)

Ultimately, as Omers' parents pointed out, as IDF operations continue in Gaza, the hostages remain in danger.

“We saw what happened at the end of August, when the IDF got too close to the hostages, the terrorists were ordered to execute them,” Orna said. “We saw six hostages executed in one day, including the American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin. And the conditions in which they were held and the state in which they were recovered, they were emaciated, they were dehydrated, that doesn't leave them much to the imagination.

“They are in horrible conditions and need to be removed as quickly as possible,” she added.

Material found in tunnel where IDF recovered bodies of six deceased hostages. (Courtesy of the Israel Defense Forces)

Netanyahu said his two main goals in the Gaza campaign were the destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages.

But after the October death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a major war objective of Netanyahu's military operations did not cease, nor did ceasefire negotiations continue with fervor by Israel or Hamas.

DR. AYELET LEVY SHAHAR: A MOTHER’S MESSAGE TO AMERICA: DON’T FORGET THE HOSTAGES

It was not only the continued military operations in Gaza that began to frustrate the families of the hostages, but also Israel's increased attention to Lebanon, which left many feeling as if the hostages had been “put away.” the gap”.

An Israeli couple holding their national flag walks past graffiti calling for the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip since the October 7 attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel, in Jerusalem, November 18, 2023 , amid ongoing fighting between Israel. and the Palestinian group Hamas. (GIL Cohen-Magen/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel and Lebanon reached a ceasefire on Wednesday just two months after Jerusalem began operations to oust Hezbollah, a move that will allow citizens of both countries to begin returning to their homes near the shared border. But despite nearly a year of efforts, no such agreement has been reached in Gaza.

“I'm a little disappointed that there's no connection between peace in Lebanon and peace in Gaza,” Ruby Chen, father of Itay Chen, who was 19 and serving in the Israeli army when he was attacked and taken away by Hamas terrorists. Digital. “In Gaza, there are people, American citizens, who are in danger and who should get out.

“But hopefully this will cause Israel to focus on this peace for the hostages, as well as for other international actors who are making the hostage deal,” he added.

These are American hostages who were taken by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 and detained in Gaza. Only Hersh Goldberg-Polin (left) was returned to Israel after the IDF found him and other hostages killed by terrorists. Pictured next to Hersh are Itay Chen, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Edan Alexander, Omer Neutra, Gadi Haggai and Judi Weinstein Haggai and Keith Siegel. (Photo by Fox News)

In a speech on Wednesday, Biden defended the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, but said: “Hamas now has a choice to make. Their only way out is to free the hostages, including the American citizens they are holding, and, in doing so, end the fighting, which would allow an influx of humanitarian relief.

“Over the coming days, the United States will make further efforts with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza with the release of the hostages and the end war without Hamas in power,” he added.

As Gaza war drags on for more than a year, hopes of a deal to bring hostages home soon fade

Many hope that even if the Biden administration fails to secure the release of the hostages before he leaves office in January, the incoming Trump administration can make a change in the negotiations and secure the release of the hostages.

President-elect Donald Trump said on the campaign trail: “We want our hostages back, and they better be back before I take office, or you will pay a very heavy price.” »

Surrounded by other family members of Americans taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel, Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of Sagui Dekel-Chen, and Ruby Chen, father of Itay Chen, address journalists after a meeting. with President Biden at the White House on December 13, 2023. (Julia Nikhinson/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Trump has not detailed what steps he would take to secure the release of the terrorist network's hostages, although he signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday that is expected to allow him to begin accessing intelligence about the hostages, a process which traditionally takes place weeks before Trump's signing. the document.

While some Republicans, including those Trump has tapped for key positions in his administration, such as Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, are in communication with hostage families, the president-elect has yet to make contact with them , according to the parents of the hostages. Omer and Itai.

Fox News Digital could not immediately contact the Trump transition team to verify when the president-elect intended to contact families and begin securing the release of the hostages.

Itay Chen, a 19-year-old American-Israeli citizen, was on active duty in a tank unit on October 7. (Hostage Families Forum)

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The parents of Omer and Itay said they would continue to ensure that neither ordinary citizens nor world leaders forget their children who are still being held hostage.

“I still have my seat empty for Thanksgiving,” Ruby said in reference to where her son Itay should sit. “We hope that American citizens who understand the tragedy of having an empty chair at the table will also embrace this.

“We have Christmas [and Hanukkah] coming up, I hope we also have our Christmas miracle and can be united as a family again and bring it home,” Ruby added.

The other American hostages still held in Gaza are Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Gadi Haggai, Judi Weinstein Haggai and Keith Siegel.

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