The families of hostages being held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza came to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to urge Congress to help secure the release of their loved ones.
The group of families first came to the Senate side, where they gathered with a bipartisan coalition that included Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), before holding a press conference calling for additional action to free those still in captivity.
Parents, aunts, uncles, and siblings shared stories of their final moments of contact with their family members before they were taken on Oct. 7, which marked the largest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. They also urged congressional leaders to place pressure on the Israeli government and other countries involved in negotiations to take one of the available prisoner swap deals that would bring the hostages home.
For his part, Schumer said at the press conference that he and the families had discussed “a new strategy that we can implement” for securing the hostages’ release that he vowed to try and push forward.
“Don’t give up hope. There are always new initiatives, as there are now,” Schumer said.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin (D-MD) explained further that lawmakers planned to make “some strong suggestions to our own government, to the Israelis, and to third-country leaders” on hostage strategy.
“I don’t want to give any false hopes, but yes, there are initiatives that are taking place as I understand it,” Cardin said. “But those initiatives don’t always lead to successful hostage releases, so there are multiple avenues available, and we’re pursuing them all.”
Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), the top Republican on Foreign Relations, pointed to Qatar’s role in the hostage negotiation process.
“Others in the region, specifically the Qataris, have an obligation to help,” Risch said. “They help shape opinion on the Arab Strait and host Hamas in Doha. They are in a unique position to help secure the release of all hostages.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) noted after the press conference that while Qatar’s embrace of Hamas had “always bothered” her, she would welcome Doha’s help as an intermediary on the hostage matter.
“That would be helpful,” she told the Washington Examiner of the idea.
The families then headed to the House side for more meetings with lawmakers before taking part in a candlelight vigil on the Capitol steps alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and a group of about 100 lawmakers, where they marked 100 days since Oct. 7. This is the third such event that has taken place on the House steps since the October terrorist attack.
“It was a bipartisan group who stood here 70 days ago, and it’s still a bipartisan group because Congress is united in its opposition to Jewish hatred and in support for our friend and ally Israel,” Johnson told the crowd, who gathered despite freezing temperatures to show their support.
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Johnson went on to note his work since becoming speaker “with many of my Democrat colleagues to advocate for the safety and security of Israel.”
“Congress will not be quiet; we will not tolerate it,” he said. “We must stand together in solidarity with the Jewish people, and we will. From the synagogues in Brooklyn to the country churches of my home in northwest Louisiana, from the Senate to the House, we support Israel, believing we can overcome the darkness with light.