US State Secretary Marco Rubio expressed his commitment to ending the Israel-Hamas War and bringing all the hostages home through a comprehensive deal during a meeting with hostage survivors and families in Washington on Friday.
“I reaffirm my unwavering commitment - 100% - to achieving a hostage deal that brings every hostage home and ends the fighting,” Rubio told the delegation.
Participants in the meeting included captivity survivors, Keith and Aviva Siegel; Lishay Miran-Lavi, wife of hostage Omri Miran; Liran Berman, brother of hostages Gali and Ziv Berman; Anat and Hagai Angrest, parents of Matan Angrest; Ronen and Orna Neutra, parents of hostage Omer Neutra; and Ruby and Hagit Chen, parents of hostage Itay Chen.
The families described the daily torture of not knowing the status of their loved ones and the fear that time is running out for a deal, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
They thanked Rubio for meeting them, adding, “We trust that President Trump and his administration will do everything in their power to ensure this deal does not collapse and that this pressing opportunity is not lost.”
The forum said that while a deal is on the table, it is reminding all parties involved of “the cost of failure: the tragedy of August 2024, when six hostages were brutally murdered after negotiations collapsed. That devastating loss must never be repeated.”
Israeli, US negotiating teams depart Qatar as talks stall
The US and Israeli negotiating teams departed Qatar on Thursday to continue consultations in their respective countries.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff cited Hamas’s apparent unwillingness to reach a ceasefire in Gaza as a reason for the delegation’s departure.
“While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith. We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.
“It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way. We are resolute in seeking an end to this conflict and a permanent peace in Gaza,” Witkoff added.
Despite the return of the delegation, Israeli officials emphasized that the move does not signal a breakdown of talks.
“This is not the collapse of the negotiations,” an Israeli official stressed to The Jerusalem Post. “This delegation stayed in Doha for over two and a half weeks – longer than any previous Israeli team. We've reached a stage where further progress requires consultation at home.”
Israel still believes Hamas is ultimately interested in a deal, “but they’re trying to squeeze every possible advantage, provoking and appeasing all the extremist factions within Gaza,” Israeli officials told the Post on Friday.