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The parents of the American hostages inactive held by the Hamas violent enactment successful Gaza person called connected President Donald Trump to usage his estimation for being "tough" and use unit connected not lone known enemies but 1 of his closest allies: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
There are 59 hostages inactive successful Gaza, astatine slightest 24 of whom are assessed to beryllium alive, including American-Israeli Edan Alexander, present 21 years aged aft having spent 2 birthdays successful Hamas captivity.
Itay Chen, 19, Omer Neutra, 21, Judy Weinstein Haggai, 70, and her husband, Gadi Weinstein, 73, are each believed to person been killed by Hamas successful it's onslaught successful confederate Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023, and whose bodies were taken into Gaza.
"I judge that the president is simply a precise pugnacious person, and helium should beryllium pugnacious with the enemies and with friends arsenic well," Adi Alexander, who is Edan's father, told Fox News Digital successful a nonstop notation to Israel.
Edan Alexander and family (Adi Alexander)
"We asked of the president to support everybody accountable," Alexander, who sat adjacent to his wife, Yael, described aft the 2nd signifier of a ceasefire, which was expected to statesman successful March but failed and Israel resumed subject operations successful the Gaza Strip to the immense vexation of mediators.
In addition, the families urged Trump to support Netanyahu "on a abbreviated leash" and to "get him backmost to negociate arsenic soon arsenic imaginable and halt this thing."
Trump this week marked his 100th time successful office, and the families of the 5 Americans inactive held hostage urged him to bespeak connected his strategy and use unit connected some Israel and Hamas, done some economical and diplomatic means, to unafraid the release of each 59 hostages.
"With the predetermination results, we had specified precocious hopes," Ruby Chen, father to Itay, told reporters during a property lawsuit connected Wednesday. "We cognize helium cares astir the topic, and we saw, adjacent earlier the inauguration, his comments connected the taxable with the ‘hell to pay’ and ‘all the hostages request to travel out.’"
"But I deliberation the 100-day people that we are astatine this moment, I deliberation it's a bully clip to bespeak and accidental that the job's not done," said Chen, sitting adjacent to his wife, Hagit Chen.
Trump sparked planetary interest successful February erstwhile helium suggested the Gaza Strip should beryllium turned into the "Riviera of the Middle East," and fears person mounted that arsenic Washington continues to sermon perchance displacing Palestinians and Israel continues assertive subject operations, Hamas whitethorn beryllium unwilling to springiness up its leverage: the hostages.
Hagit Chen and her son, Itay, who was 19 years aged erstwhile Hamas attacked Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023. (Hagit Chen)
Calls wrong the Gaza Strip are expanding from Palestinians to instrumentality each the hostages truthful a day-after program tin beryllium discussed arsenic Palestinian civilians proceed to consciousness the consequences of the brutal war.
"It's casual rhetoric to accidental that Hamas won't clasp their broadside of the deal," Orna Neutra, mother to Omer, told reporters. "If they don't clasp their broadside of the deal, past [Netanyahu] tin instrumentality to hostilities.
"But let's let them to merchandise each hostages and spot if that happens oregon not alternatively of conscionable saying they won’t bash it," she added, noting it could beryllium different leveraging constituent for the Trump administration.
The families of the hostages are cautious not to get overly progressive successful the heated governmental topics, but alternatively they person highlighted the value of and request for a coagulated strategy to archetypal unafraid the merchandise of each remaining hostages, and past fig retired a day-after plan.
Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has suggested that Hamas could go politically progressive successful the Gaza Strip, but they request to afloat disarm.
"I deliberation the champion attack volition beryllium conscionable to telephone for some parties to emergence supra politics, though it volition beryllium precise hard with Hamas, which is politically struggling to past successful this region, but decidedly to telephone connected [the] Israeli authorities to emergence supra politics," Alexander said. "Do not deliberation astir politically surviving and prioritize quality life."
Emaciated Israeli hostages, from left, Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy, who were held hostage by Hamas successful Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, are taken by terrorists to a signifier earlier being handed implicit to the Red Cross successful Deir al-Balah successful the cardinal Gaza Strip connected Feb. 8, 2025. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
The families pointed to polling from Israel that shows astir 70% of Israelis favour ending subject operations against Hamas successful bid to instrumentality each the hostages much than 573 days since they were abducted, including immoderate 48% of Netanyahu’s conjugation base. Some 39% of his blimpish basal seemingly reason the strategy, and different 13% are unsure.
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While determination is evident vexation among the families of the hostages, who person made wide the Israeli authorities has not offered anyplace adjacent the aforesaid level of enactment oregon connection provided by some the Biden and Trump administrations, they said that, ultimately, the adversary is the violent enactment that captured, successful immoderate instances killed, and continues to clasp captive their loved ones.
"Just to beryllium clear, Hamas is the enemy," said Neutra, who sat adjacent to her husband, Ronen. "Hamas committed these atrocious crimes. They're holding connected to our household members. We don't privation to spot them proceed to beryllium a menace to Israel.
"But it's astir priority, and it's astir being successful the concern for 19 months now," she added.
Caitlin McFall is simply a Reporter astatine Fox News Digital covering Politics, U.S. and World news.
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