[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 23, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5168-S5170]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                  Gaza

  Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, over 290 days ago, Iran-backed Hamas 
brutally murdered more than 30 Americans and took a dozen more hostage. 
Today, eight of those kidnapped on October 7 remain in the Gaza Strip, 
held captive by an inhumane terrorist group that wants nothing more 
than the death and destruction of Israel and the United States: Edan 
Alexander, Itay Chen, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Gadi 
Haggai, Judith Weinstein Haggai, Omer Neutra, Keith Siegel.
  Eight of our fellow Americans, five of whom we believe to still be 
alive, are being held hostage right now--today--and yet too many people 
are seemingly unaware of this reality. It is shameful.

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Today, I am working to help change that and refocus the attention on 
our hostages and their families.
  As a mom, my heart aches for our hostage families. I simply cannot 
imagine the pain and the fear of waiting to hear if my daughter is 
alive and if I will ever be able to see her again and utter two simple 
but warm words: ``Welcome home.''
  These families, whom I have repeatedly met with here in DC and in 
Israel, have waited far too long to be reunited with their loved ones. 
Every day that passes puts our fellow citizens at greater risk and 
diminishes our chances of bringing them home safely.
  I am grateful for the opportunity to honor and rightly recognize our 
U.S. hostages. This is an issue that I have gained support for from my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats alike. 
We all want to see each and every one of our countrymen released and 
have consistently urged the administration and those negotiating on 
behalf of the families to use every tool possible in our toolbox.
  Hersh Goldberg-Polin is a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen born in Berkeley, 
CA. When he was 7, his family moved to Israel. His parents, Jon and 
Rachel, describe Hersh as funny with a dry sense of humor. He was a 
lover of soccer, music, reading, and travel.

  Hersh even turned his passion for soccer into an opportunity to build 
bridges between Arab and Israeli students. Days after turning 23, Hersh 
and his close friend attended the Nova music festival along with 
thousands of other young people. Before Hersh left his house, his 
mother recalls his last words:

       I love you. See you tomorrow.

  Two hundred ninety-one days, and tomorrow has still not yet come for 
the Goldberg-Polin family.
  On October 7, while at the peaceful music festival, Hersh and his 
friend were forced to flee for their lives as Hamas terrorists opened 
fire, killing more than 364 attendees.
  Put yourselves in their shoes for just a second. One minute you are 
at a concert, enjoying live music, maybe dancing to the beat, and in an 
instant, your life changes. Rockets are flying overhead; guns blasting 
right and left; smoke, fire, chaos, and total confusion follow.
  Hersh and his friend escaped the festival and ran into a nearby bomb 
shelter, a place to seek refuge from the attacks. After likely 
breathing a very temporary sigh of relief, Hamas threw a grenade inside 
that very shelter to maim and kill more innocent Israelis. Tragically, 
Hersh lost part of his arm due to the shrapnel from that grenade, and 
even more gut-wrenching: His dear friend lost his life.
  Recent footage released by the Israeli Government showed Hersh being 
taken that day, with his arm wrapped in a tourniquet that he fashioned 
himself out of part of the shirt he was wearing, as Hamas fighters 
threw him into the back of a pickup truck and lifted his head up by his 
hair, as he sat there dazed and bleeding, in order to take selfies with 
him, and drove him and the other hostages into Gaza.
  Sagui Dekel-Chen. Sagui is a 35-year-old dual Israeli-American 
citizen who grew up in Bloomfield, NJ, and is the grandson of Holocaust 
survivors. For the past 10 years, he worked on a project to convert old 
buses into mobile classrooms for underserved communities in southern 
Israel.
  Sagui was working near his Kibbutz Nir Oz home on October 7 when he 
noticed the Hamas terrorists entering the kibbutz. After ensuring his 
wife, who was pregnant with their third daughter, and children were 
safe, he joined the kibbutz security team to defend his community. His 
wife heard Sagui fighting off the terrorists, but despite their 
efforts, Sagui was taken captive. We know from hostages who have 
returned that Sagui has been seen in Gaza, and we pray for his 
immediate and safe return.
  Since being held by the Hamas regime, his wife gave birth to their 
new daughter and named her Shachar, which in Hebrew means ``dawn.'' We 
pray that the hope of this new life continues to bring light to Sagui's 
family as they wait in great anticipation for the day when they can all 
be reunited and a father can meet his precious daughter for the very 
first time.
  Sagui and Hersh's stories are unthinkable for many Americans, but 
they are true. It is no myth; it is reality--one that no one should 
turn a blind eye to.
  Hamas is a brutal regime--one that rapes women and children and preys 
on innocent civilians and one that we cannot trust to provide our 
fellow citizens who remain in Gaza with proper medical care and 
attention.
  While the hostage families remain ever hopeful, as I am, that they 
will one day be able to embrace their loved ones again, it is incumbent 
upon the administration--especially at this crucial time--to remain 
focused on freeing our American hostages. At a minimum, President Biden 
and Vice President Harris should say their names, share their stories, 
and be unafraid to tell the truth about Hamas and the need for Israel 
to fully destroy this Iran-backed terror regime.
  Today, my colleagues and I are standing up for these hostages and 
standing with their families and our friends in Israel. We remain 
committed to bringing our American citizens home now. This goal should 
not be diminished. Every second counts.
  Joining me today on the floor are many of my colleagues, and at this 
time, I would like to yield the floor. I will yield the floor, Mr. 
President, to my colleague from Iowa, Senator Grassley.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Iowa.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I thank Senator Ernst for bringing this 
and continuing to bring the plight of the hostages to our attention.
  I am glad to join Senator Ernst in speaking about just one of these: 
Edan Alexander. He grew up in Northern New Jersey. He was a champion 
swimmer for his high school team and a big fan of the New York Knicks.
  Edan also had close ties to Israel. He was born there, had 
grandparents there, and had his bar mitzvah there. Still, his mother 
was surprised when Edan announced his senior year in high school that 
he wanted to postpone college and go to Israel.
  Edan joined a program for young Jewish adults who want to explore 
serving in Israel's Defense Forces. Edan and 16 other American high 
school graduates, including a classmate from his high school, moved to 
a kibbutz in Israel. There they did 4 months of training before 
committing to serve in the IDF. Edan returned for a visit home in 
August and expected to return again in April for his brother Roy's bar 
mitzvah.

  He was on patrol at the kibbutz on the morning of October 7. He 
called his mother after the Hamas terrorist attacks began. She said:

       I'm here. I'm with you. I love you. Just protect yourself. 
     Just be safe.

  That is the last she heard from her son. Edan needs to come home now.
  I yield the floor.
  Ms. ERNST. Thank you to the Senator from Iowa for joining our 
colloquy.
  I will yield the time now to a very, very good friend and fellow 
colleague of the Abraham Accords Caucus, Senator Jacky Rosen of Nevada.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Nevada.
  Ms. ROSEN. Thank you, Senator Ernst. I appreciate it.
  Mr. President, 291 days--that is how long it has been since families 
of those being held hostage by Hamas have not been able to hug their 
loved ones--291 days, 9\1/2\ months of not being able to rest, to 
sleep, to breathe; 9\1/2\ months of heartbreak; 9\1/2\ months of agony 
beyond imagination.
  I have met with these families in Israel and here in the Capitol many 
times since October 7, and my heart is shattered with each and every 
single conversation. And each time I met with them, their ask is clear: 
that we, the United States and the international community, do 
everything we can to help them reunite with their loved ones. Their 
resilience, their strength, their perseverance--it is nothing short of 
extraordinary.
  Hostages who survived and have been released have shared stories 
about their inhumane treatment--being kept in dark tunnels with little 
to no food to eat, some even being tortured, not knowing if they would 
live or die, not seeing the light of day, and, surely, not knowing if 
they would ever see their beloved families again.
  We have also seen evidence of Hamas's use of sexual violence both on

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and after October 7, including women who were raped in captivity.
  While some hostages have been reunited with their loved ones in the 
last few months, there are still families, including those of eight 
Americans held hostage by Hamas--still held hostage by Hamas--who have 
yet to be whole again--yet to be made whole again, and we will not 
forget them--291 days.
  And there are families whose ability to see or hug their loved ones 
have been taken away forever--forever--by Hamas terrorists, their loved 
ones having died at the hands of those terrorists, like the family of 
Itay Chen.
  I met with Itay's father, Ruby, just days after the October 7 
terrorist attack. As a mother, as a Jew, and as a human being, my heart 
broke when hearing about Itay's story and the unimaginable pain his 
parents are carrying. They are with us here in the Capitol today.
  I want to apologize. I am sorry I have to give this speech. I know 
how much you loved your son.
  Itay was multitalented, fun-loving, a Boy Scout who played 
basketball. He was an American who served in the Israeli Defense Forces 
and was only 19 years old when Hamas launched its brutal terrorist 
attack on October 7, when Hamas murdered him.
  For months, we didn't know about Itay's condition, whether he was 
held hostage or even if he was alive. We held out hope. We held out 
hope. But the unimaginable heartbreak of going through this nightmare, 
it didn't stop Ruby. It never stopped Ruby.
  He has come to Congress multiple times to remind us of our 
responsibility to his son and to all of the hostages being held by 
Hamas. His strength--your strength, Itay's parents--and resilience is 
an inspiration to us all.
  Earlier this year, we learned Itay was one of the many souls who 
Hamas brutally murdered--again, beyond imagination. And while it was 
reported that he was killed 291 days ago, his body--his body--is being 
held captive by the Hamas terrorists who murdered him, and this has 
denied Ruby, denied Itay's parents and his family, the right to bury 
him, to mourn him, and to sit shiva for him.
  It matters to the family. He and his wife Hagit and Itay's siblings 
have just been forced to live in grief and in limbo, and it is a 
tragedy that no one should ever have to go through.
  There is a proposed deal to free the hostages. And with reports of 
progress in these negotiations, now is the time to see it through to 
the end. We must free the hostages for Itay, for his family, for the 
seven other Americans held by Hamas, for the remaining 120 hostages 
from two dozen countries--hostages who are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, 
Hindu, Buddhist; who are someone's sons or daughters, sisters or 
brothers, mothers, fathers, loved ones who Hamas refuses to release. 
These are someone's loved ones. Hamas refuses to release them.
  And as we continue to pursue every viable path to bring them home, we 
will hold them in our hearts and hold Hamas's feet to the fire. We 
stand with the hostages and their families. They are not forgotten. Our 
work isn't done until we bring them home.
  Thank you again, Senator Ernst, for bringing us all together today.
  I yield the floor.
  Ms. ERNST. Thank you, Senator Rosen.
  Joining our colloquy now is the senior Senator from Maryland, Ben 
Cardin.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Markey). The Senator from Maryland.
  Mr. CARDIN. I want to thank Senator Ernst for arranging this time. 
This is a critical moment. We are close to having a deal where the 
hostages can be released. It is important that we all speak out. I want 
to thank Senator Ernst for arranging this time.
  To Senator Rosen, thank you for your incredible leadership on this 
issue. I thank you for your comments. I certainly concur in those 
comments.
  We just left a meeting with the hostage families that are here. I 
have been meeting with the hostage families regularly since October 7. 
I first want to acknowledge their courage for putting a face on these 
issues and motivating us to do more.
  I made a commitment when I was in Israel in October that I would do 
everything in my power to get the hostages released. And, every day, I 
look at opportunities and I ask my staff to look for opportunities so 
we can get the hostages released.
  Let me make this clear. Hamas is responsible for the hostages. They 
have taken them. They never should have. Some died under their custody, 
and there are still hostages who haven't been released after 291 days.
  I had the opportunity to be in Buenos Aires last week, representing 
the United States at the 30th commemoration of the AMIA bombing, the 
Jewish community center where 85 lost their lives. It was a very moving 
ceremony in which the families of the victims of the Jewish community 
center bombing spoke. They want to make sure we never forget the names 
of those 85.
  And they demanded justice. It has been 30 years, and justice still 
has not been handed down to Hezbollah and Hamas and Iran, who are 
responsible for those attacks.
  We are demanding the release of the hostages that were taken on 
October 7, and we will not forget their names--the eight Americans who 
have not yet been accounted for.
  Omer--I just met his family--a 22-year-old born leader, grew up in 
Long Island. He was the regional president of the United Synagogue 
Youth and captain of many sports teams. He is being held by Hamas.
  You heard about the others: Itay, Edan, Hersh, Sagui, Keith, Judith, 
and Gadi. They are just the eight Americans that are being held. All 
the hostages need to be released, and they need to be released now. Two 
hundred ninety-one days--it is outrageous.
  Mr. President, I wanted to join Senator Ernst today to make it clear 
that there is no justification for the holding of the hostages. We have 
an opportunity to reach an agreement. Let's do this. Let's get it done. 
Let's get the hostages home. Let's hold the perpetrators accountable 
for the atrocities that they have perpetrated. And let's find a path 
for real security and peace in the Middle East, for the Palestinians 
and the Israelis.
  There is no room for peace in the Middle East with Hamas. They need 
to be held accountable for these atrocities, and the hostages need to 
be released today. Let us all join together in unity to get the 
hostages home.
  I yield the floor.
  Ms. ERNST. Thank you, Senator Cardin. Thank you for your leadership.
  Senator Ted Budd represents the great State of North Carolina. He is 
unable to join us, but he did want to make sure we read his 
constituent's bio.
  Eight of these remaining hostages are Americans. Our final American 
hostage is a native of the State of North Carolina, and his name is 
Keith Siegel.
  I have joined North Carolina Senator Ted Budd in meetings with the 
families of hostages, as well as former hostages, like Keith's wife, 
Aviva. Keith and Aviva have four children, alongside five 
grandchildren.
  We have heard their stories, and I can attest that Senator Budd and I 
look at their photos every single day. We have heard the stories, and 
these families must absolutely live with horrible pain, and they have 
an uncertainty that is absolutely unacceptable. The fact that we stand 
here after 291 days and the fate of these eight innocent souls is not 
the primary topic of conversation on our national media and from the 
current administration is shameful.
  Now is the time for all nations to rally together and use all 
available pressure to force Hamas terrorists to release all of our 
hostages.
  I do want to thank my colleagues--Senator Rosen, Senator Cardin, and 
Senator Grassley--for coming to the floor and joining in this colloquy 
to ensure that the American people don't forget that we have eight 
Americans that are still being held. Let's bring them home now.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted 
to speak for 15 minutes and Senator Blackburn for 15 minutes prior to 
the scheduled vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.