Families of American hostages implore debate moderators to address their loved ones’ plight
Varda and Baruch Ben Baruch, the grandparents of hostage Edan Alexander, Aug. 29. Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images
By Jacob Kornbluh September 9, 2024
The families of the seven American hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza are calling on the moderators of Tuesday’s presidential debate, ABC anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis, to ask Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump what they would each do to make sure that their loved ones return home.
“We urge moderators to ensure that the candidates address the plight of the hostages,” the families said in a joint statement on Monday. “We request that David Muir and Linsey Davis include specific questions about what each candidate would do differently to bring the hostages home.”
At least four American hostages – Keith Siegel, Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen, and Omer Neutra – are believed to still be alive. The bodies of Itay Chen, Gadi and Judi Haggai are still held in Gaza. The IDF retrieved the body of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was murdered along with five other hostages, last month.
Nearly 340 days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and months after President Joe Biden’s speech outlining the terms of a hostage-ceasefire deal, mediators have yet to secure a deal that would bring home the remaining 101 hostages. The hostages “need the United States and the world to overcome differences and disagreements and work together toward bringing them home,” the families said.
Both Harris and Trump addressed the hostage crisis and the ongoing war in Gaza in recent weeks, but they have not said what they would do if the hostages are not returned by the time they enter office.
“I have no higher priority than the safety of American citizens, wherever they are in the world,” Harris said in a statement in reaction to Goldberg-Polin’s murder on Aug. 31. “President Biden and I will never waver in our commitment to free the Americans and all those held hostage in Gaza.” In her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, Harris said she is “working around the clock” with the president to end the war “such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”
Trump has taken a more hardline approach to Hamas and a less empathetic tone in his statements about the hostage crisis. “As for the evil savages responsible for these murders, may they never know peace or comfort ever again,” Trump told Jewish Republicans last week. Trump has repeatedly claimed that Hamas would never have attacked Israel had he been in the Oval Office, and blamed the crisis on Biden and Harris.
During his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas: “They better be back before I assume office, or you will be paying a very big price.”
Ruby Chen, father of Itay, told CNN he would “challenge the candidates and ask them, you know, how to get our kids back. We want to hear new ideas from both candidates and for them to commit to adopting a fresh approach to all the players.”
