Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
(NewsNation) — With the first phase of it Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement expected to begin Sunday, the families of the hostages hope to see their loved ones in front of them again.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire deal that could see the first release of American hostages within days, as part of a broader agreement on frees 33 prisoners in a 42-day break in battle.
The deal, which is awaiting approval from Israel’s security Cabinet in a Thursday votewould include the release of two Americans — Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen — in its first phase, according to a senior administration official.
Of the seven Americans believed to be held by Hamas, only three are believed to be alive. The third, 21-year-old American-Israeli Edan Alexandera former IDF soldier, would be part of a second phase of releases.
In return, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, following a pattern seen in previous hostage negotiations.
Phase three calls for the return of the bodies of the remaining hostages and the start of a major reconstruction of Gaza, which is largely destroyed and faces decades of rebuilding.
After 466 days in captivity, it is still unclear how many of the roughly 100 hostages still held by Hamas are alive. Officials estimate that more than a third of all hostages taken in the October 7 attack are dead.
For the families of the hostages, the wait continues. While some may soon be reunited with their loved ones, others face the grim possibility of receiving confirmation of deaths in captivity.
Hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen is to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire
-
Jonathan Dekel-Chen joins NewsNation to discuss the upcoming ceasefire in Gaza, which aims to clear the way for dozens of hostages to be released. His 36-year-old son, Sagui Dekel-Chen, a US citizen, was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 and is believed to be still alive. Together with other hostage families, Dekel-Chen has actively advocated for the safe return of their loved ones. -
Edan Alexander, left, is pictured with his father Adi. Hamas kidnapped Alexander during the ongoing war in Gaza and remains in captivity. -
Released hostage Ilana Gritzewsky poses for a portrait in her apartment in Kiryat Gat, Israel, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, near photos of her boyfriend, Matan Zangauker, who is being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov) -
This undated photo provided by Hostages Families Forum headquarters shows Omer Neutra. (Hostages Families Forum headquarters via AP) -
-
TOPSHOT – Ronen (L) and Orna Neutra, parents of Omer Neutra, pose for a photo in New York City on November 6, 2023. The parents of Omer Neutra, an American-Israeli soldier with dual nationality who is one of around 240 hostages seized by Hamas in its attack from Gaza are counting on President Biden to get them back. They haven’t had a single word about him in the month since their and the other hostage families’ nightmare began on October 7th. Biden, who has pledged firm support for Israel in its war against Hamas, showed compassion as he spoke to families for more than an hour and said he is determined to secure the release of the hostages, Ronen Neutra said. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images) -
FILE – Ruby Chen holds a poster of her son, Itay Chen, during a protest near Israel’s parliament in Jerusalem, March 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File) -
Judith Raanan, an American who was one of the first hostages released by Hamas, on the “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.” -
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL – OCTOBER 7: Families and supporters of hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7 Hamas attack hold up pictures of the hostages as the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas marks one year on October 7, 2024 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Various commemorations are taking place around Israel to mark the anniversary of the Hamas attacks in Israel. On October 7, 2023, members of Hamas launched a series of attacks and raids on Israeli citizens in the Gaza Strip border area of Israel. 251 Israelis and foreigners were kidnapped with nearly 100 still unaccounted for and 1139 people were killed. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images) -
This combination of six undated photos show hostages, from top left, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, from bottom left, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov and Carmel Gat, held hostage by Hamas militants in Gaza . On Sunday, September 1, 2024, the Hostages Families Forum announced their deaths while in Hamas captivity. (The Hostages Families Forum via AP)
Jonathan Dekel-Chen revealed that his son Sagui, held captive since October 7, may not even know that he has a new daughter, born two months after his capture.
“I simply don’t know if Sagui even knows that his family survived the massacre,” Dekel-Chen said Wednesday on NewsNations “Elizabeth Vargas reports.” His 36-year-old son is among those expected to be released in the first phase of the releases.
“I will feel joy when Sagui is able to embrace her little girls,” Dekel-Chen said.
The last confirmed evidence of Sagui’s life came a year ago, when freed hostages reported briefly encountering him wounded but alive in Hamas tunnels under Gaza.
“When he gets out of that ambulance, we will embrace him in every sense of the word and help him in any way necessary to rebuild his life,” Dekel-Chen said, tempering his optimism about his son’s condition after 466 days in captivity.
Although he was grateful for his son’s expected release, Dekel-Chen said many hostages remain in what he called “hell pits” under Gaza, including 29 from his own Kibbutz Nir Oz. Some of these prisoners, he learned, were subsequently killed by Hamas.
“We cannot leave a single hostage,” he said.
Omer Neutra’s parents hope for a ‘proper burial’
The parents of a deceased American hostage called the truce “a deal with the devil” while supporting the compromise needed to bring home the remaining prisoners.
“This is not a good deal,” said Ronen Neutra, if 21-year-old son Omer was confirmed dead after 422 days in captivity. “But on October 7, 2023, they took 250 people out of their beds… and unfortunately we have to make a deal with the devil.”
Omer Neutra, a first responder who rushed to defend Israeli villages during the October attacks, was among the 98 hostages still in Gaza. His parents learned of his death last month after advocating for his release at the Republican National Convention and in meetings with President Joe Biden.
His mother, Orna Neutra, described “mixed feelings” about the deal. While they support the deal, Neutras is now fighting for a different outcome — the return of their son’s body for “proper burial”.
The parents praised the bipartisan cooperation between the outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump’s team to secure the deal.
“There is no daylight between the two teams,” Orna Neutra said, noting that both administrations helped push the deal forward.
