As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address both chambers of Congress for the first time since Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack that prompted this iteration of the conflict, the families of the hostages are left clinging to a hope that may never be recognized.
As of this week, the Israel Defense Forces has confirmed the deaths of 44 of the roughly 116 hostages who remain in Gaza, held by Hamas, more than nine months after they were kidnapped. About a hundred were released during a weeklong ceasefire in November. The IDF said this week it had confirmed the deaths of two additional hostages, Alex Dancyg, 75, and Yagev Buchshtav, 35, after obtaining new intelligence information.
“Alex and Yagev were brutally abducted into Gaza and their bodies are still being held by Hamas,” the IDF said on Monday. “The confirmation of their deaths comes after thorough intelligence review and expert committee approval of the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the Ministry of Religious Services and the Israel Police. The circumstances of their death in Hamas captivity are being examined by all professional authorities.”
It’s not clear how many of the other hostages are still alive. Last month, Osama Hamdan, a Hamas spokesman and political bureau member, told CNN, “I don’t have any idea about that,” referencing the number of living hostages. “No one has an idea about this.”
The most likely way to secure the release of the hostages is for Israel to agree to a ceasefire deal with Hamas, though the two sides have not been able to finalize a deal for several months despite worldwide encouragement. U.S. officials have expressed optimism about the current talks, though no deal has been reached.
Eight Americans are believed to be among the hostages, five of whom are still believed to be alive. Several family members are expected to attend Netanyahu’s address.
Daniel Neutra, whose brother Omer is among the hostages, told lawmakers on Tuesday that the hostage families met with Netanyahu this week and said that “the urgency of the matter did not seem to resonate with him.”
“We must continue to put pressure on all parties involved, including Hamas, to accept this deal now before more people die in captivity,” he added, which was a sentiment reiterated by a number of family members during a House Foreign Affairs Committee roundtable on Tuesday.
Israel’s war in Gaza, which has gone on since October, has caused a significant divide within the Democratic Party. The more progressive wing of the party has urged President Joe Biden to withhold weapons from Israel and has characterized Netanyahu as a war criminal, which the International Criminal Court has accused him of being, while the more centrist wing has generally supported Israel’s efforts against Hamas. The Republican Party has, by and large, been more supportive of Israel’s military aims despite the backlash and condemnation that the images of Israel’s war have caused it globally.
Netanyahu’s trip to Washington comes as the United States is reeling from the wide-reaching ramifications of the failed assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump and the decision from Biden not to run for reelection and instead endorse Vice President Kamala Harris within eight days. Netanyahu is expected to meet with all three leaders separately later this week.
Some Democratic lawmakers, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), have said they will not be attending Netanyahu’s address, some of whom are instead meeting with the families of people affected by the Oct. 7 attack.
Biden and his administration have largely supported Israel’s right to defend itself after Hamas’s attack, though they have repeatedly urged Israel to go to greater lengths to protect civilians and allow humanitarian aid into the strip. Despite those public calls, the administration has only withheld one shipment of offensive weapons to Israel.
The Israeli military is believed to have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, and experts have said they believe most of the deaths have been civilians. Hamas intentionally embeds itself within the most densely populated areas of Gaza, as well as in tunnels underneath them, as a part of its strategy, forcing Israel either to risk incurring civilian casualties or not to carry out those missions.
Nearly everyone in the enclave has been displaced from their homes, and the whole population is facing the threat of famine.
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The ICC has issued a warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest, as well as for multiple Israeli and Hamas leaders, for alleged war crimes. The administration has denounced the court for the move.
There are expected to be large protests in Washington, D.C., ahead of his address.
