New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer said he promised to try to implement a new hostage release strategy, which he said he discussed earlier on Wednesday with the hostages’ families.
Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Maryland Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, said he’s aware of ongoing efforts and conversations but did not speak to the new strategy to the new strategy to which Schumer referred.
Conversations with Israeli officials
Cardin said he’s had conversations with US and Israeli government officials to understand the military operation and humanitarian needs. Cardin said there have been a lot of efforts made that have not produced results, and that the US is looking for “every new initiative in order to bring the hostages home.”
Cardin said advancing a hostage strategy may “involve some conversations with other countries, it may involve conversations with Israelis.”
“So, I don’t want to give any false hopes, but yes, there are initiatives that are taking place as I understand it,” Cardin said. “But those initiatives don’t always lead to successful hostage releases. So there are multiple avenues available and we’re pursuing them all. I don’t know if I’d say more than that, though.”
Cardin said he’ll be discussing hostage strategy during his meeting on Thursday with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who returns from an extensive trip through the Middle East and Davos, Switzerland, where he met with numerous world leaders.
Cardin declined to say if Congress needs to take a harsher stance in dealing with Netanyahu and the Israeli government.
“We’re going to continue to use every method we have,” Cardin said. “And that, at times, will mean we’ll be offering some strong suggestions to our own government, to the Israelis, and to third country leaders.”
Relatives of hostages to US lawmakers: 'World must do more'
Yarden Gonen, whose younger sister Romi was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, shared details of the last phone calls she and her mother had with Romi, who remains captive in Gaza.
“My Romi has a chance to win her life back. My little sister, the best human being on Earth, is still alive and she needs our help,” Yarden said.
“You are all lawmakers of the most powerful country in the world. A beacon of democracy, a defender of civil and human rights. With this great power comes great responsibility,” she said.
“This is a violation of international law, of basic human rights, and quite simply a win for global terrorism if we don’t get them back now.”
Orna Neutra, mother of 22-year-old Israeli-American hostage Omer Neutra, said any deal put forward must include all of the remaining hostages.
Orna said she’s grateful for the leaders around the world supporting the hostages’ families, but they must do more.
Liz Hirsch Naftali, great aunt of released hostage Abigail Idan, who turned four years old while in Hamas captivity, thanked members of US President Joe Biden’s administration while criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for holding up deals to return the remaining hostages.
“I’m here today as a family member of a hostage survivor because the US government worked with Israel, Qatar, and other nations to save Abigail’s life,” Naftali said.
Naftali said hostages’ families know diplomatic negotiations work, as they did release Abigail and over 100 children and women.
“I’ve been briefed, as many people have here, that there have been several deals that have been worked out with Hamas that included staggered release of our hostages.
These hold-ups have been from the Bibi Netanyahu government,” Naftali said. “He has been unwilling to agree to the terms needed to release our loved ones to make these deals final.
Naftali said she sees Netanyahu’s interests as political and he demonstrates wanting to keep the war going to remain in office.
“We need Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to stop making this priority about himself, but to make the priority the return of the hostages through a deal,” Naftali said. “Let me be clear: the loved ones of all these family members, will not come home alive if there is a prolonged war.”
Ruby Chen, father of hostage Itay Chen, said the hostages’ families recognize Netanyahu’s responsibility for October 7, and that Netanyahu has the authority to “bring this to the finish line.”
Chen said a component missing from the Israeli cabinet’s dialogue has been “the day after,” which Chen said is an integral part of reaching a conclusion for the hostages’ families.