It has been nearly two years since Oct. 7, 2023, the day my son Itay, a U.S.-Israeli citizen, was taken hostage by Hamas.
For my New York-based family, and for the families of the 47 other hostages still in Hamas dungeons in Gaza, every day since has been a battle against despair. My family had held out hope that the recent cycle of talks for a comprehensive ceasefire and hostage release deal was hours away, and then reality hit us in the face (again) when we learned of the Israeli strike against Hamas leadership in Qatar on Tuesday.
Netanyahu chose to prioritize revenge over saving the hostages.
The fact is that time is running out for all 48 hostages. This war could have been resolved months ago. The hostages could have been returned home. An end to the humanitarian crisis could have been achieved. Those things have not happened, because President Donald Trump is being played.
There has been no shortage of deals to end the war that have fallen apart over the past year, and even now, another agreement was on the table. Side letters between negotiators were reportedly being exchanged to close gaps in the deal’s framework. Progress was once again being made.
But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose — as he has done repeatedly over the past two years — to prioritize revenge, backed by his political allies in Israel, over saving the hostages. In doing so, Netanyahu is betraying not only the hostages and their families, but the U.S., as well, putting Israel’s most crucial ally in a difficult situation in which it will be forced to choose between its own strategic interests in the Middle East and Netanyahu’s political interests.
We have seen this before. Netanyahu manipulated the Biden administration with promises and half-measures, biding time and eroding trust because of his fixation with maintaining his fragile government coalition. Now he is doing the same with President Trump. A skilled negotiator, President Trump ought to know how to identify a con man from a mile away. But, no. President Trump, like President Joe Biden before him, is allowing Netanyahu to put his interests before the U.S.’ interests.
With Tuesday’s assassination attempt on Hamas leaders, Netanyahu has effectively dismantled the framework of negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal as they have been conducted until now — through Qatar and Hamas representatives abroad. Arab countries will surely retaliate diplomatically against Israel, and President Trump’s vision of a new Middle East, based on the Abraham Accords, could very likely begin to fade away.
This war could have been resolved months ago. The hostages could have been returned home. An end to the humanitarian crisis could have been achieved. Trump administration officials told the hostages’ families in recent meetings that we would not reach 700 days with our loved ones in captivity. It was a promise that meant everything to us. It was an assurance that this administration understood the urgency of our plight. I believe he meant to keep that promise. But President Trump has been unable to keep those promises because of Netanyahu’s choices, playing Russian roulette with the hostages. Do not get me wrong. Attempting to assassinate those responsible for the Oct. 7 atrocities that killed 1,200 people is a legitimate act of war — and assassinations might be inevitable. But the timing is tragic — with a deal potentially so close. It is a conscious choice that increases the probability of sacrificing my son, never to be returned. Netanyahu has treated the return of all the hostages as merely an option, and not a sacred Jewish value. It’s time to put an end to this, to reset the U.S.’ strategic interests based on President Trump’s America First policy. Part of this policy also includes releasing U.S. hostages. Two months ago we saw the U.S. independently secure the release of Edan Alexander from Hamas captivity. This week, we watched with great pride as the U.S. brought home Russian-Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov after more than two years in captivity in Iraq. My family hopes this is a sign that President Trump and his team realize it is time to find a way to bring my son back home after more than 700 days in captivity and not allow Netanyahu to play us all for fools — or sacrifice the hostages any longer.
Ruby Chen
Ruby Chen is the father of Itay Chen, a 19-year-old American member of the IDF who was stationed near Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. Ruby lives in Israel with his wife, Hagit, and their two other children. 
