Families of American hostages held in Gaza push UN for their release

Families of American hostages being held in Gaza visited the UN Friday to push for the release of the hostages.

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

The U.S., Qatar and Egypt are trying to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a deal – a six-week cease-fire, the release of more hostages and additional aid to Palestinians. But Hamas is demanding a more permanent truce and continues to hold more than 130 hostages, including five Americans and the bodies of others who have died. NPR’s Michele Kelemen reports that the families of some of those Americans came to U.N. headquarters in New York yesterday to support the agreement.

MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE: After meeting the families of American hostages who were either killed, released or are still being held, the U.N. secretary-general reiterated his call on Hamas to release all hostages, including human remains. It was a message that Orna Neutra had been waiting to hear ever since her son was captured by Hamas on October 7.

ORNA NEUTRA: So to him, it’s a humanitarian issue, which is, of course, the way we feel about it and the way we would expect the whole world to address this issue. And there should be no terms attached.

KELEMEN: Her son, Omer Neutra, is a 22-year-old American who was serving in the Israeli military when he was taken hostage. He has deep family roots in Israel but was born in New York just a month after 9/11, she says.

O NEUTRA: And I clearly remember walking over the Queensboro Bridge with him in my belly and thinking to myself that I cannot believe that this is happening on the – in the United States, in New York. And it’s just incomprehensible that he’s involved in this huge terror attack right now.

KELEMEN: This past week, the Israeli military informed the parents of another American serving in the Israeli army that their son, who was believed to have been held hostage in Gaza, had actually been killed on October 7 and his body taken to Gaza. Secretary of State Antony Blinken…