Hostage families urge ceasefire and humanitarian aid at DNC

Family members of the eight American hostages will be in the crowd Monday night in Chicago when President Joe Biden takes the main stage of the Democratic National Convention, addressing what's expected to be an arena of pro-Palestinian protestors and disrruptions.

Biden didn't give any comments to reporters en route to Chicago on Monday afternoon about his speech, the swath of uncommitted delegates calling for a total arms embargo to Israel, or about the news coming out of Israel that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the bridging ceasefire proposal.

The pro-Palestinian protests and uncommitted delegates dominated headlines weeks before the convention started.

The American hostage families are working to keep the conversation on the release of their loved ones; a point that Liz Hirsh Naftali, the great aunt of four-year-old Abigail Mor Edan, who was taken hostage on October 7 and released 50 days later, told The Post on Monday morning should not be opposite from what pro-Palestinian groups are calling for.

The American hostage families have kept their efforts bipartisan, with participation both at the Republican National Convention and the DNC, she said.

"The other message we've been clear on is we really believe we need the hostages to be released," Naftali said. "We need a ceasefire, and we also all talk about the fact that the Palestinian people in Gaza need to receive humanitarian aid and dignity."

Ceasefire and humanitarian aid

Naftali said she would beg protesters on the streets outside of the DNC to join calls for a ceasefire, the release of the hostages and calling for humanitarian aid for Palestinians.

"We could be united on this one message," she said. "I support protest, but if the message is to have a ceasefire, which a lot of it is, we're in the same boat. We want a ceasefire."

Naftali said it would be so powerful if 30k people on the streets came together and told Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Netanyahu to make a deal.

For other speakers in the prime time lineup, such as former President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Naftali said they need to speak about bringing home American citizens, ensuring Israeli is safe and has the right to exist, but also speak about the need to stop fighting and that dignity must be allowed for the people of Gaza.

For Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of 35-year-old hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, it's less about what Biden says on the main stage and more about what his administration has done to get the ceasefire deal done.

Dekel-Chen described the timing of the DNC and the hopefully final stages of the ceasefire talks as coincidental, and that there isn't going to be a direct correlation between the DNC and what is or isn't going to be decided in Cairo at the end of the week.

"What I do know is that as hostage families, we need for the administration here in the US to be completely engaged in this and applying maximal pressure, both to Hamas through the intermediaries and the Israeli government to complete the deal," Dekel-Chen said.

He added there's little doubt the Biden administration is on board, repeating his claim from throughout the past 10 months that the White House has shown more of a commitment to getting the hostages home than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated on Monday there's still questions of implementation to be addressed should Hamas accept the bridging proposal. Blinken urged everyone to refrain from taking any actions that could fuel further conflict or escalate tensions. 

Naftali said three weeks ago, when she sat in the oval office with Biden, Netanyahu and the other American hostage families, Netanyahu said he would do everything he could to bring a rapid release of their family members. 

"He said it right to my face, I sat in that meeting. We are now here, three weeks later," Naftali said. "So while I'm sitting here at the DNC, I am reflecting on that three weeks ago."