Families of US hostages take their stories to the DNC amid Gaza war protests

CHICAGO — Family members of six Americans who are still being held hostage after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel are at the Democratic National Convention to increase political pressure for a ceasefire deal and hostage release amid widespread demonstrations from pro-Palestinian protesters in the Windy City.

The families are working to keep the conversation focused on the release of their loved ones who have been gone for 319 days as of Tuesday. 

Ronen Neutra and Ruby Chen are two fathers bonded by their tireless advocacy to secure the release of their sons. Neutra’s son, Omer, is one of five American hostages believed to be alive, and Chen’s son, Itay, was killed on Oct. 7 and Hamas took his body to Gaza. 

“Ronen and I are just simple dads from New York City — we are not spokespeople for the state of Israel. We are just part of this tragedy and we want our kids back,” Chen said in an interview with the Washington Examiner at a hotel in Chicago on Tuesday morning. “By coupling our tragedy with the Israeli Palestinian issue, which many, many people for many many years have tried to solve, that is not helpful to us.”

Itay Chen, a 19-year-old U.S. and Israeli citizen, was serving in the Israel Defense Forces and was thought to have been taken hostage last October. However Israeli intelligence in March revealed Chen was killed while defending civilians on the Gaza border during the Hamas attack. His family has been unable to hold a funeral, pointing to the fact that his body deserves a proper and dignified burial

“In the U.S. we say rest in peace — the soul needs to be at a place where it is at rest. We are all children of God and all of us have dignity also to the deceased,” Chen explained. “We need to at least have some closure and begin the next sad chapter of our lives.”

Time is running out for 22-year-old Omer Neutra, who was taken from his army base near Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel during the attack. The Israeli military announced Tuesday that it recovered the bodies of six hostages taken in the attack that started the war in Gaza. 

The recovery operation underscores the urgency for a deal that would bring the hostages home. 

Negotiations for a ceasefire continue as Secretary of State Antony Blinken has pushed for a deal that would free the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. 

“We are down to 109 hostages right now in the hands of these savages and we are urging everybody to put pressure wherever they can on the leadership of Hamas and the leadership of Israel to reach a day that is long overdue and bring them home,” Neutra told the Washington Examiner.

Pro-Palestinian protests have erupted in Chicago near the convention center. Demonstrators upset over the Biden administration’s support for Israel and its failure to end the war in Gaza marched with signs, calling on Vice President Kamala Harris to break with President Joe Biden and embrace an arms embargo, pointing to Israel’s retaliatory offensive that has led to the deaths of over 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas and does not identify how many deaths were militants. 

Multiple protesters were arrested Monday after deviating from a city-approved parade route and breaking down the first layer of security fencing. This comes amid protests on U.S. college campuses this spring that featured antisemitism and at times confrontation between protesters and counterprotesters. Both fathers hope to send a message to those demonstrating. 

“I think anyone with a heart can relate to our situation. My son was taken for over nine months, I don’t know his medical condition, I have no sign of life. If you have a heart you can sympathize,” Neutra said. “I’m expecting people on all sides to understand how terrible the humanitarian situation is, and we need to bring them back, and as a result, this will be key to bring calm to the Middle East.”

“It starts with a ceasefire and a hostage release and everybody in the Middle East, including the people in Gaza, who will get the humanitarian aid they need.” 

Chen is emphasizing that the families of the hostages and the protesters have a similar goal. 

“There is so much misinformation, and from our perspective, we actually have one common goal. We both want to reach a ceasefire and bring calm to the area,” Chen said. “In that regard, the hostage situation is a humanitarian issue. Anyone with a heart must support the return of the hostages.” 

Omer, who grew up on Long Island, loved to play sports. He decided to spend a gap year between high school and college in Israel on an educational leadership program. In 2020, he decided to defer his acceptance to Binghamton University and joined the IDF.  

“He made the very brave decision, we are very proud of him to go support the Israeli Jewish state,” Neutra said. “He was one of the first responders to rush to the border, trying to defend the kibbutz, the settlements around the Gaza border.”

Neutra and his wife Orna addressed the Republican National Convention last month in Milwaukee.  Wearing a black shirt with Omer’s picture and the words “Bring Them Home,” Ronen declined to discuss his political views and instead emphasized the importance of being part of a bipartisan effort.

In his speech before the Republican convention, he said former President Donald Trump spoke with them after the attack. He has also praised the Biden administration.

“I’m happy to say that we’re getting very strong support from the Biden administration, but the proof is in the pudding. We need to get those people back, we are 319 days in, this is an incredibly long time, and the hostages are dying.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, the families had not yet been asked to address the Democratic convention. However, they are hopeful that they can share their stories onstage.

“We are hoping the families will have a stage to speak up and tell the story of where we are right now,” Neutra said. “I’m pretty sure the Democratic Party will do something similar to the RNC.”