Hostage families grateful but wary of ceasefire agreement
With the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas expected to begin on Sunday, the families of the hostages hope to see their loved ones in front of them again.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire deal that could see American hostages released for the first time within days, as part of a broader agreement to release 33 prisoners during a 42-day cessation of fighting.
The deal, which awaits approval by Israel’s security cabinet in a vote on Thursday, includes the release of two Americans — Keith Siegel and Sagi 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 presumed to be alive. The third, 21-year-old Israeli-American Aidan Alexander, a former soldier in the Israeli army, will be part of the second phase of the prisoner release.
In return, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, similar to what happened in previous hostage negotiations.
The third phase calls for the return of the bodies of the remaining hostages and the start of a major reconstruction process in Gaza, which has been largely destroyed and faces decades of rebuilding.
After 466 days in captivity, it is still unclear how many of the approximately 100 hostages still held by Hamas are still alive. Officials estimate that more than a third of all hostages taken during the October 7, 2023 attack have died.
For the families of the hostages, the wait continues. While some may soon be reunited with loved ones, others face the grim prospect of receiving confirmation of death while in captivity.
Hostage Sagi Dekel Chen will be released in the first phase of the ceasefire
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Jonathan Dickel-Chen joins NewsNation to discuss the upcoming Gaza ceasefire, which aims to pave the way for the release of dozens of hostages. His 36-year-old son, Sagi Dekel Chen, a US citizen, was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 and is believed to be still alive. Dekel-Chen, along with the families of other hostages, has been actively advocating for the safe return of their loved ones. -
Aidan Alexander, left, pictured with his father, Adi. Alexander was kidnapped by Hamas during the war in Gaza and is still in captivity. -
Freed hostage Ilana Gretzowski poses for a photo in her apartment in Kiryat Gat, Israel, on Sunday, December 15, 2024, near photos of her boyfriend Matan Zanjoker, who is being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Tasfrir Abayov) -
This undated photo provided by the Hostage Families Forum headquarters shows Omar Neutra. (Hostage Families Forum Headquarters via AP) -
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TOPSHOT – Ronen (L) and Orna Neutra, parents of Omar Neutra, pose for a photo in New York City on November 6, 2023. The parents of Omar Neutra, a dual-citizen American-Israeli soldier who is one of about 240 hostages taken by Hamas in its Gaza offensive, They are counting on President Biden to restore it. They had not heard a word from him in the month since their nightmare, and that of the other hostage-takers, began on October 7. Biden, who pledged to provide strong support for Israel in its war against Hamas, showed sympathy when he spoke to Hamas leaders. Ronen Neutra said he spent more than an hour with the hostages’ families, and said he was determined to secure the hostages’ release. (Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP) (Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images) -
FILE – Robbie Chen holds a poster of his son, Itai Chen, during a demonstration near the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on March 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File) -
Judith Raanan, an American who was one of the first hostages to be released by Hamas, in Elizabeth Vargas Reports. -
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL – OCTOBER 7: Families and supporters of hostages taken during the deadly Hamas attack on October 7 hold up photos of the hostages as the one-year anniversary of the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2024 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Various celebrations are held throughout Israel to commemorate the Hamas attacks in Israel. On October 7, 2023, members of the Hamas movement launched a series of attacks and raids on Israeli citizens in the Gaza border area in Israel. 251 Israelis and foreigners were kidnapped, about 100 are still missing, and 1,139 people were killed. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images) -
This set of six undated photographs shows the hostages, from top left, Hersh Goldberg Poulin, Uri Danino, and Eden Yerushalmi, and from bottom left, Almog Sarosi, Alexander Lobanov, and Carmel Gat, who were taken hostage by Hamas militants in Gaza. On Sunday, September 1, 2024, the Hostage Families Forum announced their death while in Hamas captivity. (Hostage Families Forum via AP)
Jonathan Dekel-Chen revealed that his son Sagi, who has been detained since October 7, may not even know that he has a new daughter, born two months after his captivity.
“I simply don’t know if Sagi even knew that his family survived the massacre,” Dekel Chen said Wednesday on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” show. His 36-year-old son is among those expected to be released in the first phase of release.
“I will feel happy when Sagi can hug his little girls,” Dekel Chen said.
The last confirmed evidence of Al-Sagi’s life came more than a year ago, when freed hostages briefly reported 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 every way necessary to rebuild his life,” Dekel Chen said, tempering his optimism about his son’s condition after 466 days in captivity.
While expressing gratitude for the expected release of his son, Dekel Chen said many hostages remained in what he called the “pits of hell” in Gaza, including 29 from his own Kibbutz Nir Oz. It was learned that some of these prisoners were subsequently killed by Hamas.
“We cannot leave a single hostage behind,” he said.
Omar Neutra’s parents hope for ‘proper burial’
The parents of a deceased American hostage described the ceasefire as a “deal with the devil” while supporting the settlement necessary to return the remaining prisoners to their homeland.
“This is not a good deal,” said Ronen Neutra, whose 21-year-old son, Omar, was confirmed dead after 422 days in captivity. “But on October 7, 2023, they took 250 people out of their beds… Unfortunately, we have to make a deal with the devil.”
Omar 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 Biden.
His mother, Orna Neutra, described “mixed feelings” about the agreement. While supporting the deal, the Neutras are now fighting for a different outcome — Their son’s body was returned “for a proper burial.”
The family praised the bipartisan cooperation between the outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Trump’s team in securing the agreement.
“There is no disagreement between the two teams,” Orna Neutra said, noting that the two departments helped move the deal forward.
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