Families of Israel captives still in Gaza call on Trump, Biden to work together

Families of Israeli captives held in Gaza urged US President, Joe Biden, and President-elect, Donald Trump, on Thursday to work on a deal to free those still being held, Reuters reports.

A delegation of former hostages and hostages’ relatives were visiting Rome for meetings including with the local Jewish community and Pope Francis.

During a press conference, they told reporters a deal was swiftly needed to bring back all the captives and said Biden and Trump should work together.

However, despite prolonged negotiations, while Hamas has agreed to a deal which would see a permanent ceasefire and exchange of hostages, provided that Israel withdraws completely from Gaza – including the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah Crossing – the deal has not, so far, materialised because it has been persistently obstructed by Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We hope Biden and Trump work together now to get the hostages back, before the winter […] it has been so tough for them, they cannot be expected to wait another winter,” said Sharon Lifshitz.

READ: Netanyahu’s insistence on military presence in Philadelphi Corridor undermining ceasefire deal: Report

Lifshitz’s mother, Yocheved, was freed in October last year while her father, Oded, is still captive.

“This is not about the left and right, all people should come together,” she said.

Norberto Louis Har, who was freed in February after Israeli occupation forces carried out air strikes which killed 67 Palestinians, told reporters he did not care about the political camps but only that those still held were released.

The Vatican said that some of the participants in the meeting with Pope Francis showed him posters with photos of their relatives, which also included their names and ages.

“The Pope has been very kind to us […] he has promised to continue pray for our people, to continue to pray for each and every one of the hostages,” Lifshitz said.

So far, 117 hostages have returned home alive, including four released at the start of the war. During the week-long pause in November, 2023, Hamas released 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners in exchange for 240 Palestinians, of whom 71 were women and 169 children. Since 7 October, 2023, over 10,000 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons, many of whom are being tortured in the prisons.

Thirty-seven Israeli hostages have died. Of these 37, aside from one, all of them have been killed by Israel itself during Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of civilian residential buildings and areas in Gaza. In December 2023, three Israeli hostages were killed by the Israeli military, despite their carrying white flags, which the Israeli military initially tried to cover up. In June 2024, more than 270 Palestinian civilians were killed in the Nuseirat Refugee Camp during an Israeli operation, where Israelis hid in humanitarian aid trucks to enter the area to rescue four Israeli hostages.

That leaves 101 hostages still in Gaza by Israeli tallies, at least half of whom Israeli authorities believe are still alive.

READ: Released Israel hostage accuses Netanyahu of betrayal, criticises him for ‘abandoning’ hostages in Gaza