The reelection of Donald Trump presents new possibilities for the four American hostages still believed to be alive and held by Hamas. Yet there is an urgent need for action before Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, says the father of a Hamas hostage, Jonathan Dekel-Chen, who spoke to EWTN News In Depth about his son and the crisis in Gaza last week.

Dekel-Chen, an American-Israeli citizen, professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and father of hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, explained that time is of the essence. “Simply, if we wait until President Trump and his administration go online, there, in all probability, will be no one to rescue alive.” 

He explained that in the brief time period in which President Joe Biden remains in office and President-elect Trump prepares for his second term, “Both of them can fully engage in this without any domestic American politics … to apply whatever pressure they can.” 

“The U.S. has a lot of levers here, not just on Israel and Hamas, but also on the intermediaries, on Qatar and Egypt, and perhaps Turkey as well,” he said.

A strategic application of influence abroad must happen urgently, Dekel-Chen emphasized: “The hostages who still might be alive, and we really don’t know how many might still be alive, will not survive until Jan. 21.” 

The dire situation began with the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,400 Israelis in a single day — and more than 250 hostage abductions. Almost 100 of these hostages are still unaccounted for, with only 60 believed to be alive, including the four American citizens. Three Americans have already been murdered, and their bodies are being kept by Hamas.

Sagui was abducted from the Dekel-Chens’ kibbutz, a rural farming cooperative community on the edge of Gaza during the attacks. He is a 36-year-old father of four daughters — one of whom was born in the months of his captivity.  

There have been no reports of his status since early December 2023, when released hostages shared that they had encountered him briefly in captivity in the tunnels beneath Gaza.

Hamas has a history of killing hostages, even after agreeing to terms of release or exchange. Six hostages, including an American citizen, were brutally killed in late August, shortly before they were found by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). IDF identified the hostages, one of whom belonged to the same farming community as the Dekel-Chens, and three whom were expected to be released during the first phase of a cease-fire agreement, as reported by CNN.

Dekel-Chen recalled to Catherine Hadro, EWTN News In Depth host, the horrors inflicted: “Over 200 heavily armed, well-trained Hamas terrorists invaded our kibbutz and, together with several other hundred looters from Gaza, most of them civilians, some of them not, rampaged through our home for the better part of nine hours.” 

Both the incoming and outgoing presidential administrations must seize the moment and unite forces to advocate for the release of the Hamas hostages, emphasized Dekel-Chen: “It has to happen before Jan. 21.”

 

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