The parents of American hostages still detained by the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza have urged President Donald Trump to utilize his renowned “tough” stance to exert pressure not only on known adversaries but also on one of his closest allies: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Currently, there are 59 hostages in Gaza, with at least 24 believed to be alive, including American-Israeli Edan Alexander, who is now 21 years old, having spent two birthdays in Hamas captivity.
Itay Chen, 19, Omer Neutra, 21, Judy Weinstein Haggai, 70, and her husband, Gadi Weinstein, 73, are thought to have been killed by Hamas in its attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, with their bodies being taken into Gaza.
“I believe that the president is a very tough person, and he should be tough with the enemies and with friends as well,” Adi Alexander, who is Edan’s father, told Fox News Digital in a direct reference to Israel.
Edan Alexander and family (Adi Alexander)
Calls within the Gaza Strip are increasing from Palestinians to return all the hostages so a day-after plan can be discussed as Palestinian civilians continue to feel the consequences of the brutal war.
“It’s easy rhetoric to say that Hamas won’t hold their side of the deal,” Orna Neutra, mother to Omer, told reporters. “If they don’t hold their side of the deal, then [Netanyahu] can return to hostilities.
“But let’s allow them to release all hostages and see if that happens or not instead of just saying they won’t do it,” she added, noting it could be another leveraging point for the Trump administration.
The families of the hostages are careful not to get overly involved in the heated political topics, but instead they have highlighted the importance of and need for a solid strategy to first secure the release of all remaining hostages, and then figure out a day-after plan.
Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has suggested that Hamas could become politically active in the Gaza Strip, but they need to fully disarm.
“I think the best approach will be just to call for both parties to rise above politics, although it will be very difficult with Hamas, which is politically struggling to survive in this region, but definitely to call on [the] Israeli government to rise above politics,” Alexander said. “Do not think about politically surviving and prioritize human life.”
Emaciated Israeli hostages, from left, Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy, who were held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, are taken by terrorists to a stage before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Feb. 8, 2025. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
The families pointed to polling from Israel that shows nearly 70% of Israelis favor ending military operations against Hamas in order to return all the hostages more than 573 days since they were abducted, including some 48% of Netanyahu’s coalition base. Some 39% of his conservative base apparently oppose the strategy, and another 13% are unsure.
While there is evident frustration among the families of the hostages, who have made clear the Israeli government has not offered anywhere near the same level of support or communication provided by both the Biden and Trump administrations, they said that, ultimately, the adversary is the terrorist organization that captured, in some instances killed, and continues to hold captive their loved ones.
“Just to be clear, Hamas is the enemy,” said Neutra, who sat next to her husband, Ronen. “Hamas committed these atrocious crimes. They’re holding on to our family members. We don’t want to see them continue to be a threat to Israel.
“But it’s about priority, and it’s about being in the situation for 19 months now,” she added.
