Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed on Monday that the United States would “continue to work tirelessly” to bring home four American hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip for more than a year.
The remaining four, Keith Siegel, 65, Sagui Deker-Cheng, 36, Omer Neutra, 22, and Edan Alexander, 21, died exactly one year ago on Monday. , was abducted by a Palestinian terrorist organization on October 7, 2023. Along with the killing of about 1,200 Israelis.
“Hamas took 254 people hostage that day, including 12 Americans. Four Americans, Hersh Goldberg Pollin, Itay Chen, Judy Weinstein, and Gad Hagai, were killed by Hamas. The four were released under the last US-negotiated agreement.'' In November, Edan Alexander, Keith Siegel, Sagi Deker-Cheng, and Omer Neutra are still held captive in Gaza. We are,” Blinken said in a statement.
“An estimated 97 hostages are still being held in Gaza, including men, women, boys, girls, two infants, and elderly people from more than 25 countries,” Blinken said. added. “Hamas must immediately release these hostages. All must be returned to their families. The United States will continue to work tirelessly to bring them home.”
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American hostages still in Gaza, left to right: Sagui Deker-Cheng, Edan Alexander, Omer Neutra, and Keith Siegel. (Hostage/Missing Family Forum)
Blinken on Monday called Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel “the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,” adding, “It's time to reach a cease-fire agreement that brings the hostages home and alleviates the suffering of Israelis and Palestinians.” I've come,'' he said. And finally, this war will come to an end. ”
The youngest hostage, Edan Alexander, 20, graduated from Tenafly High School in New Jersey in 2022 and later volunteered for the IDF.
“He was abducted from an IDF post on October 7. Since then, there has been no additional information about this kidnapping,” his father Adi said.
Adi and his wife Yael wrote an opinion piece in the new york times In September, he said: “For hundreds of days, the world has failed our son and his fellow hostages. The Israeli government has abandoned them and too many countries have turned a blind eye. Although we are grateful for the determined support of the U.S. government, our efforts have not yet borne fruit.
Sagui Dekel Chen's father, Jonathan Dekel Chen, and Itai Chen's father, Ruby, are surrounded by other families of Americans taken hostage by Hamas in the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel. Chen speaks to reporters after the meeting. Meeting with President Biden at the White House on December 13, 2023. (Julia Nickinson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
One year after October, the United States is on alert for possible “violent extremist activity” against Americans. 7
Omer Neutra, 22, also volunteered to join the IDF, according to his parents Orna and Ronen.
“He was a typical American kid. He loved sports. He was accepted to Binghamton University, but decided to postpone going to college. He then took a gap year to Israel and learned about his country, his co-workers, and… He had deep connections with his friends.''He decided to volunteer for the IDF, but was forced out of the job,'' his mother, Orna, said.
she recently told the New York Post “Children are bargaining chips in this geopolitical nightmare, and our family is just floating on this wave, trying not to sink,” he said from his home in Plainview, New York. ”
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Ronen Neutra and Orna Neutra, parents of American hostage Omer Neutra, speak at a press conference with families and elected officials of American hostages in the Gaza Strip in New York, April 5. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Jonathan Dekerchen, whose 36-year-old son Sagi is still being held in Gaza after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, said in an interview with “Fox & Friends” in September: Returning the hostages home alive is due to some kind of arrangement with Satan. ”
According to reports, Dekerchen was abducted by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz a year ago. American Jewish Committee. The group said he made sure his then-pregnant wife and two daughters were safe in a shelter before confronting the Hamas terrorists who had invaded his home.
Last November, Keith Siegel's 65-year-old daughter, Elan Siegel, wrote in a column for Fox News Digital, “They are my parents, unassuming people full of kindness and quiet sensibilities, and my father.'' He forced her into his car and took her to a certain location.” Gaza. ”
Siegel's wife Aviva was later released from confinement.
Aviva Siegel recently said, “It's really cruel to think he's been in such a bad condition for so long.” he told the New York Post. “What they're going through is the cruelest thing on earth.”
Keith Samuel Siegel, 64, remains hostage to Hamas in Gaza (Hostage/Missing Family Forum)
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The bodies of Americans Itai Chen, 19, Gadi Hagai, 73, and his wife Judith Weinstein, 70, also remain in Hamas custody in Gaza.
FOX News' Ashley Carnahan and Daniel Wallace contributed to this report.
