Israel war: Families of hostages held by Hamas descend on Congress seeking help

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle Tuesday met with hundreds of family members of those who were abducted and taken hostage by Hamas, vowing to fight for their safe release while also emphasizing their support for the state of Israel.

Dozens of members from both chambers of Congress streamed into a large hearing room inside the Dirksen Senate Office Building and spoke with family members holding large signs with pictures of their loved ones.

INFLATION FELL TO 3.2% IN OCTOBER IN POSITIVE SIGN FOR ECONOMY

“He is brilliant, sensitive, so tall and strong, a loving son and a loving friend,” said Ditza Or, describing her 30-year-old son Avinatan Or to Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), who is chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Or was last seen in a viral video being taken hostage by Hamas after a music festival with his girlfriend Noa Argamani.

“All I want to do is hug him again, I really miss him,” Or said to McCaul, who just returned from a trip to Israel over the weekend.

“We met with some high-ranking officials in Israel, I can’t get into the details, but they are actively working to get the hostages out,” McCaul said in response.

In a show of unity, senators and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle stood up toward the back of the room, holding pictures of the hostages provided by the families, and vowed to do everything in their power to help bring them home.

“We are all standing here in unity with you,” said Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), the third-ranking member in the Senate, speaking at the podium. “We wanted to be here to see the faces, to hear the stories, to share the pain, and make sure that the world never turns its back on the stories or the people of Israel.”

It’s been a little over a month since Hamas’s surprise attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,400 people in Israel. The terrorist group abducted about 240 Israelis during the attack and has released four so far.

Earlier on Tuesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee invited all members to a closed-door screening of a “highly graphic” video of Hamas’s attack on Israel to allow lawmakers to see exactly what happened on Oct. 7. The bipartisan screening of the footage was supplied by the Israeli Embassy.

“Mr. McCaul and I hosted earlier today a video showing the terrorists, who are not fighting for freedom or anything of that nature,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “The United States Congress will not rest and will be working with the state of Israel so that you can get back your family members, so that you can resume the peaceful lives in which you had. We will make sure to wipe out Hamas, so that that evil no longer exists.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

After members of Congress made statements, families of those taken hostage were invited to speak at the podium to share the stories of their loved ones. A woman came up to the podium and did not identify herself, but said her older brother is Alex Lubnov, 32, who has been missing since the morning of Oct. 7. He was working at the music festival and the family has been informed that he has been taken to Gaza, leaving behind his wife who is six months pregnant.

“She is six months pregnant and they have another child who is 2,” the woman said through tears. “His wife is all home alone.”