Meeting Held with Families of Hostages in Gaza

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee recently met with the families of Americans Itai Chen and Omer Neutra. The two men have been held hostage in Gaza following an attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in their deaths.

Rubio emphasized the importance of remembering those who died while in Hamas captivity. In a post on X, he stated, “We will not forget the lives of the hostages who died in Hamas captivity. Today I met with the families of American citizens Itai Chen and Omer Neutra. We will not rest until their remains, and all of them, are returned.” He shared a photo from the meeting as well.

Huckabee commented on the meeting too, indicating that Rubio’s visit to Israel has been productive in terms of advancing a U.S.-brokered peace plan for Gaza. However, he insisted that the release of all hostages is a prerequisite for the plan’s success.

During this critical meeting, Ruby Chen, Itai’s father, noted that this was his fifth meeting with Rubio since he took office. “We needed to feel some reassurance after days without news about the hostages,” he explained. He mentioned that Rubio promised to communicate the essential points of their discussion to the President, who is set to meet in Qatar later that day.

Additionally, Ruby Chen had a chance to meet with Vice President J.D. Vance, First Lady Usha Vance, and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff during his recent trip to Israel.

Meanwhile, Ronen Neutra, Omer’s father, expressed his concerns during the meeting as well. “Hamas seems to be stalling on releasing the hostages to give themselves room to maneuver,” he said. He strongly believes that after all the efforts made by the previous administration, it’s time for the families to be reunited. “We deserve to have our boys returned to us so we can start the grieving process we’ve been postponing,” he added.

Notably, all living hostages have since left Gaza, but the remains of 13 deceased hostages, including Chen and Neutra, have not yet been returned by Hamas. The Israeli government continues to urge Hamas to return all hostages’ remains.

Both families remain active in advocating for the release of the hostages. In fact, Neutra’s parents have previously voiced their plight at the Republican National Convention, while Chen’s parents spoke at the Democratic National Convention. They have connected with various officials worldwide to gain support in their fight to bring their loved ones home.

Chen, a 19-year-old with dual U.S. and Israeli citizenship, was believed to have been taken by Hamas while on duty along the Gaza border on October 7, only to be confirmed dead by the Israel Defense Forces. His body is still being held by Hamas. Omer Neutra, a 21-year-old Israeli-American, also lost his life during the same day of conflict, and his remains remain in captivity as well.