Van Duyne Calls for Release of More Hostages

As Israel and Hamas exchange hostages and prisoners, Texas Representative Beth Van Duyne (R) is calling for the release of more Israeli hostages.

“I was glad to hear of the release of some hostages held by Hamas, including 4-year-old American Abigail Mor Edan. However, the majority of the hostages are still being held captive by Hamas. We must #BringThemHome NOW!”

80 Israeli hostages have been released under the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Hamas took 240 hostages in the initial Oct. 7 attack, and the two groups are negotiating with each other to release more hostages.

Many in Congress and the White House are calling for a permanent cease-fire, yet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rebuffed those requests. That said, the Israeli negotiators have reportedly not ruled it out in their negotiations.

Netanyahu has stood by his goal to eliminate Hamas, which he views as a major security threat to Israel. However, support for his goal is waning amongst some Democrats in the U.S. Initially, President Joe Biden (D) was an ardent supporter of Israel’s fight against Hamas, but, amid pressure from Democrats, he has begun to call for a possible permanent cease-fire.

Recently, the Democratic party has been split on sending aid to Israel. Senate Democrats such as Representative Bernie Sanders (D-VT) are on board with the idea of giving military support to Israel as long as some conditions are met.

Rep. Sanders's concerns deal with what he considers to be Israel’s “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza. Israel has been questioned over various strikes in the region. Some of the questionable strikes in Gaza have actually been attributed to Hamas by both Israel and the U.S.

Several pro-Israel Senate Democrats dismissed the idea of conditioning military aid to Israel. Given the fact that Democrats will need help from across the aisle, the dismissal essentially works as a sign that legislation built on those terms is unlikely to pass.