Parents of American held captive in Gaza hope Biden and Trump will work together on hostage deal

By Arlette Saenz, CNN

(CNN) — Ronen and Orna Neutra are gathering this Thanksgiving with friends in Long Island, New York, for a moment of quiet reflection as their son Omer, an Israeli-American citizen, continues to be held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

“For us, it’s no holiday. Our holiday table is empty a second year in a row. Omer is not there,” Ronen Neutra said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday. “We are hoping this is the last year that we are in this situation.”

After the US helped secure a ceasefire this week between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Neutras expressed hope the development could serve as a “time to refocus” on securing the release of their son and the other Israeli-American hostages remaining in Gaza. They said President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump each have their own strengths and should jointly work to secure a hostage deal.

“We have two presidents. We’re calling on them to work together,” Orna Neutra said. “The hostages don’t have time to wait until Inauguration Day.”

While they welcomed the ceasefire deal in Lebanon, the couple expressed some frustration that the agreement was not coupled with the release of the hostages in Gaza.

“We have seen that attention both in Israel and around the world was taken from the war in Gaza to the war in Lebanon in the last four or five months, and that was a concern to us,” Ronen Neutra said. “But at the same time, we are disappointed that it was not combined with a hostage deal, which is really the most urgent element right now. We consider it a missed opportunity.”

In their talks with administration officials in recent weeks, the Neutras said Biden’s team indicated reaching an agreement regarding Lebanon would isolate Hamas and could push them back to the negotiating table.

“We’re looking forward to that being a reality,” Orna Neutra said.

In announcing the ceasefire in Lebanon on Tuesday, Biden said the US would make “another push” to achieve a hostage deal, including working with Israel, Qater, Egypt and Turkey. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Wednesday the administration believes the Lebanon agreement provides a “newfound opportunity” for movement on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, though he offered no predictions on when or how that could come together.

The Neutras, along with other families of Americans held hostage by Hamas, have spent the last year pushing US and Israeli officials to secure a hostage deal to release their loved ones. The couple delivered remarks urging their release at the Republican National Convention in July. Four Americans, including Omer, are still believed to be held hostage, and the bodies of three Americans remain in Gaza.

The hostage families are hoping to meet with the Biden administration in the coming weeks to discuss the renewed push, the Neutras said. The families have yet to speak with Trump or his picks for key national security posts since the November 5 election.

“We are calling on President Trump to seize the moment and reach what we are calling a Reagan moment,” said Ronan Neutra, referring to the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, when Tehran released the remaining Americans held captive shortly after President Ronald Reagan was sworn in on January 20, 1981.

Biden’s fresh commitment to renew efforts to end the conflict in Gaza comes one year after the US played a key role in a multi-day ceasefire agreement that resulted in the release of more than 100 hostages in Gaza, including young American Abigail Edan.

“It’s been a year since the last release,” Orna Neutra said. “Use all your leverage. This is your moment.”

As they prepare to gather this Thanksgiving, the Neutras are continuing to hold out hope a hostage deal could come to fruition as other holidays are around the corner, noting the first day of Hannukah falls on Christmas this year.

“How wonderful it would be to have the hostages back by then,” Ronen Neutra said. “That should be the goal.”

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