Five American hostages are still being held by Hamas. And while our leaders seem to have forgotten them, the American people have not.
Hamas killed 1,200 people in Israel and took more than 250 hostages in a terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. Some hostages have been released, but Hamas still holds about 130 hostages, not all of whom are still alive.
Five of them are U.S. citizens.
Five American hostages still held by Hamas teeth; Keith Siegel (65 years old), Sagui Dekel-Cheng (35 years old), Omer Neutra (22 years old), Edan Alexander (20 years old), Hirsch Goldberg-Polin (23 years old) .
Here is a brief explanation of each.
Hersh Goldberg-Pollin
last time goldberg paulin’s His parents last saw him on October 6, just before he went camping with his friend Anel Shapira, on the eve of the Hamas attack on Israel.
His mother, Rachel Goldberg, last heard from her son the next morning, when she received two emails from him. In one article, he told his parents he loved them. Another text message read, “I’m sorry.”
The family later learned that Goldberg-Polin and Shapira had attended the Supernova music festival, where 364 concertgoers were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists.
Goldberg-Polin and Shapira were able to find a roadside rocket shelter.
While they were hiding in the shelter, Hamas terrorists threw a grenade into the shelter, which blew off Goldberg-Pollin’s left arm below the elbow. He then placed a tourniquet on his arm.
Witnesses said Shapira, who was later buried in Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl cemetery, threw the grenade from his shelter. Moments later, Hamas terrorists notified those in the shelter to accompany them, and Goldberg-Pollin was taken into a pickup truck along with the other hostages.
Keith Siegel
Keith Siegel and his wife Aviva Siegel, 62, were taken away. hostage By a Palestinian civilian from his home in the kibbutz of Kfar Azha. The couple was taken to Gaza in a private car and sold to Hamas terrorists.
Aviva Siegel was later released during the ceasefire period in November 2023 and spoke about her time in captivity ever since.
Monaka interview In April, on CBC News, Aviva Siegel explained that the couple had “moved 13 times” and encountered “many terrorists,” each one “worse than the other.”
Keith Siegel immigrated to Israel in 1980, many years after his brother Lee Siegel did, and met his wife, Aviva, at a kibbutz where Lee and Keith’s sister-in-law lived. The couple then moved to the kibbutz of Kfar Aza, where they raised four children.
One of the children, Seal Siegel, tried to call his parents Saturday but was informed that they were unable to speak.
Sagui Dekel-Cheng
Sagui Dekel Chen, the son of Connecticut-born Jonathan Dekel Chen, lived on Kibbutz Nir Oz with his wife Avital and their children. Sagui’s parents also live in the same kibbutz.
in interview Sagi’s father told the Times of Israel that his sons raised the alarm at the kibbutz after seeing “heavily armed and well-organized” Hamas terrorists passing through their community. I explained.
After making sure his wife and children were safe, Sagi went outside with other members of his kibbutz security team and fought Hamas terrorists for hours.
“My daughter-in-law and children are traumatized right now,” Dekerchen told the outlet. She said, “Avital heard her husband struggling in hand-to-hand combat.”
In April, 36 relatives and friends of Kibbutz Nir Or held a Passover festival with empty chairs decorated with photos of each hostage.
Sagui’s mother, Neomit Dekel-Cheng, was also taken hostage. She was reportedly able to escape when Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers in a helicopter shot at the driver of a motorized cart heading towards Gaza with Hamas terrorists and hostages.
edan alexander
Edan Alexander was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and raised in Tenafly, New Jersey. After his high school graduation, he enlisted in the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade.
He was stationed near the Gaza Strip at the time of the Hamas attack and informed his mother, Yael Alexander, of his safety just after 6:30 a.m.
But by around 7 a.m., they could not reach their son, and a week later, the family realized that Yidan was also held hostage by Hamas.
Yael explained to NBC News: interview When they were informed that their son was among the hostages, they felt “there is hope now.”
“When they told me that, I just kind of took a breather because I got it. Now we have hope,” she said.
Omer Neutra
Omer Neutra was a tank commander near Gaza at the time of the October 7 Hamas attack.
After graduating from high school in New York City, Omer moved to Israel and joined the Israel Defense Forces.
Omer’s mother, Orna Neutra, explained: “He went there for the right reasons. He felt he wanted to protect. He was not the kind of man who wanted war.” .
Omer’s parents last heard from him the day before the Hamas attack.
Omer Noitra and Edan Alexander were both stationed near the Gaza border and reportedly knew each other.
“We didn’t know about the family beforehand, but we were told after the fact that the sons knew each other and had similar backgrounds, so they shared a lot. ” Omer’s mother said. Said.
(These biographical materials were sourced from The Times of Israel. washington examinerand other reports).
