About 120 hostages, five of them Americans, are believed still held by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip adjoining Israel since Oct. 7.
One American, Edan Alexander, turned 20 in captivity on Dec. 29. Before he was taken hostage by Hamas, his mother Yael Alexander told her son that she loved him and to be safe.
“And that’s it, we hang up. I didn’t know I’m not going to hear from him again,” the captive’s mother said in an interview with the American Jewish Committee published in March.
Alexander was born in Tel Aviv but grew up in New Jersey. He chose to return to Israel to serve in the Israel Defense Forces after high school, a decision his mother says she remains proud of him for making.
Alexander was stationed on the Israel-Gaza border Oct. 7. Around 7 a.m. that morning, he spoke to his mother on the phone. He told her it was “like a war” there but assured her he was safe. That was the last time they spoke.
Alexander and four other Americans—Sagui Dekel-Chen, Omer Neutra, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and Keith Siegel—are believed to be alive after being held hostage for over 230 days.
Edan Alexander
Sagui Dekel-Chen
Omer Neutra
Hersh Goldberg-Polin
Keith Siegel
Jan. 14 marked the 100th day of captivity for the hostages who remained in Gaza after over 100 were released through negotiations last fall.
President Joe Biden pledged that day to “never forget the grief and the suffering I have heard in my meetings with the families of the American hostages.”
“No one should have to endure even one day of what they have gone through, much less 100,” Biden said. “On this terrible day, I again reaffirm my pledge to all the hostages and their families—we are with you. We will never stop working to bring Americans home.”
During his State of the Union address nearly two months later, Biden told a joint session of Congress: “Here in the chamber tonight are American families whose loved ones are still being held by Hamas. I pledge to all the families that we will not rest until we bring their loved ones home.”
Over two months later, those five Americans remain hostages in Gaza.
Biden has called on leaders in Egypt and Qatar to pressure Hamas to release the hostages in a cease-fire agreement with Israel, but negotiations have broken down repeatedly in recent months.
The Daily Signal asked the White House whether the Biden administration would consider using U.S. troops to rescue American hostages in Gaza but did not receive a response.
The bodies of three other Americans—Itay Chen, Judy Weinstein, and Gad Haggai—also are believed to be in Gaza.
On this week’s edition of the “Problematic Women” podcast, we discuss Biden’s handling of the hostage crisis.
Also on today’s show, Texas is trying to outlaw porn use by minors but is facing opposition from—you guessed it—the porn websites. We discuss.
And what are the biggest health trends that might be worth trying? We share our favorites.
And as always, we’ll crown our Problematic Woman of the Week.
Listen to the podcast below: