Families of several Americans held hostage by Hamas celebrated the release of a 4-year-old Israeli American while pleading with the international community to make securing the freedom of the eight remaining U.S. citizens and all those still detained a top priority during the dwindling hours of a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
The humanitarian pause in the fighting, which began Friday, was already extended by two days, with international mediators seeking another extension.
“The clock continues to tick, and it’s not in our favor,” Orna Neutra, the mother of 22-year-old Omer Neutra, a dual Israeli-American citizen held by Hamas, told U.S. lawmakers Wednesday as her husband, Ronen Neutra, set a giant hourglass on the table.