Families lobby for U.S. to save Hamas hostages

WASHINGTON — A few days after Israeli soldiers knocked on his door near Tel Aviv to tell him that his son had been captured by Hamas, Ruby Chen hopped on a plane to New York.

He’s been patiently retelling his story ever since: outside the United Nations Tuesday, in all-day meetings with members of Congress from both parties Thursday, to Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday. He met with the FBI, State Department negotiators and New York City officials throughout the week.

“We are a delegation of U.S. citizens,” Chen, a 55-year-old tech executive, said Friday in an interview at a Washington synagogue where he was about to address a congregation gathering under heavy security for Sabbath evening services.

“Our expectation — and what we’ve seen — is that the U.S. is not taking a supporting role only, but actually an active role in the negotiation process,” Chen said.

Chen, who was raised in New York and has dual citizenship, was joined by a group of about a dozen other American families of captives who have swarmed the Capitol this week, compartmentalizing their anguish at times but never hiding it. Chen wears a patch over his left eye, the result of a stress-induced shingles outbreak.

But Chen does not stop answering questions. Keeping his 19-year-old son Itay in the public eye is too important. He asks the lawmakers and reporters he meets to imagine how they’d feel if their own child were held hostage. He and the other families believe the U.S. can leverage influence with partners in the region “to solve this humanitarian issue as soon as possible” and free the 10 Americans among more than 200 hostages being held by Hamas terrorists.

Itay, who was also born in America, was on active duty with the Israel Defense Forces guarding an agricultural settlement near the Gaza border when he was captured after fighting with Hamas terrorists, Chen said.

Chen said American officials have been fully engaged, beginning with an Oct. 13 Zoom call President Joe Biden held with the families. His Thursday meetings included both Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat.