American families of hostages held by Hamas for nearly 300 days had a clear and direct message for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his high-stakes visit to the United States: Bring them home now.
“There is an opportunity right now, and we must seize this opportunity,” Jon Polin, whose son is in captivity, told NBC News on Tuesday. “We’re not going to stop pushing. We need to get this done.”
Netanyahu, who has faced mounting pressure from hostage families, as well as from the international community, to strike a deal with Hamas for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, met this week with families of five Israeli Americans held by the militant group that runs the besieged enclave.
The visit took place in Washington before Netanyahu’s scheduled address to Congress on Wednesday and a meeting with President Joe Biden on Thursday.
According to several of the American hostage families in Washington for the Netanyahu speech and meetings, they are upset that he is in the United States instead of in Israel trying to get their loved ones home. They also said they are looking toward Thursday’s joint meeting at the White House with Biden and Netanyahu as a chance for Biden to pressure the Israeli leader to agree to a cease-fire deal as soon as next week with no new obstacles.
Netanyahu’s trip comes at a time of political upheaval in Israel as well as in the U.S., with the trip coming on the heels of the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, as well as Biden’s announcement that he will not seek re-election and his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as the de facto Democratic nominee.
Meanwhile in Israel, protests have rocked the country amid mounting calls for Netanyahu to focus on striking a cease-fire deal, with an announcement this week from the Israeli military that two more hostages held in Gaza have died, with at least 46 people believed to be dead in Hamas’ captivity, fueling outrage.
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He is also under huge pressure from the military, the intelligence and a majority of the Israeli public to wind the war down and agree to a cease-fire.
Netanyahu has additionally faced growing isolation on the international stage over his handling of the war in Gaza, where the death toll continues to rise, with more than 39,000 people killed, according to local health officials. Israel launched its offensive after Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attacks, in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.
Israel has come under intense international pressure over its handling of the war in Gaza as images of civilian death and suffering continue to emerge from the bombed-out region, with about 90% of the population internally displaced.
Tens of thousands of sheltering Palestinians were forced to evacuate Khan Younis in southern Gaza this week following orders from the Israeli military as it launched an aerial assault on the area.
It comes after the United Nations’ top court said last week that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories was unlawful and ordered its immediate end. Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court is seeking an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes, which he denies.
Hostage families have frequently appealed to Biden, a staunch and longtime supporter of Israel, to aid their cause of seeing their loved ones freed, which many have accused Netanyahu of putting second behind defeating Hamas.
“What we were hoping and are still hoping to hear tomorrow is, ‘Thank you to the United States for helping us get this deal over the finish line,’” Polin said Tuesday.
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Details of a deal are still being worked out but could include a six-week cease-fire and the release of hostages in three stages, Biden said in May.
If a three-stage deal materializes, Polin’s son Hersh Goldberg-Polin could be among first to be released because he was injured. He was recorded on video being loaded onto a pickup truck at the Supernova music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7, with his arm blown off in Hamas’ attack.
Goldberg-Polin is among some 120 hostages who remain held captive by Hamas, which is designated a terror group by the U.S. and European Union. Appearing on NBC News, his parents wore the number 291, representing the number of days he’s been missing, written in black marker and taped onto their shirts.
“It might take some time, but every one of these 120 people has to come home,” said Polin’s wife, Rachel Goldberg-Polin.
Daniel Neutra’s family was among several who met with national security leaders on Monday to discuss a potentially imminent cease-fire deal.
Neutra said the last time he spoke with his older brother Omer was Oct. 6. Omer, who grew up in the U.S. and served in the Israeli army, was looking forward to spending a weekend with friends, Neutra said. He was taken captive hours later.
“I agree with people calling for a cease-fire,” Neutra said. “All the death has to end.”
Neutra’s parents recently shared Omer’s story at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, but Neutra said both Biden and Harris have been unequivocal in their support of the five American Israeli hostages.
“People are dying all the time in captivity, and we can’t continue this process on their backs,” he said. “We need to finish this right now.”
If Netanyahu was expecting an easy visit to the U.S. capital, he will not necessarily get it, said former hostage Aviva Siegel, who was held for 51 days and lost more than 20 pounds during captivity. She worries Netanyahu is more concerned with wiping out Hamas than with securing the release of hostages, including her husband of 43 years.
Siegel supports a cease-fire.
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“Of course I do,” she said. “It should have happened a long time ago.”
Siegel last received proof of life in April when Hamas released a video of her husband. She has not heard from him since. Every day is agony, she said.
“I need him and he needs me,” she said.
Other families said they were hopeful that Netanyahu’s visit would signal an imminent hostage deal.
Senior U.S. officials told NBC News last month that the Biden administration had discussed potentially negotiating a unilateral deal with Hamas to release the American hostages if current cease-fire talks involving Israel failed.
Adi Alexander, whose son Edan was taken while serving in the Israeli army, said securing a deal now could bolster Netanyahu’s reputation and cement Biden’s legacy.
“It could be a turning point, but I felt like that back in January and back in the end of April,” he said, referring to previous hostage negotiations. “Now we have the third round, and I’m just hoping it won’t collapse.”
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