Hamas has my son. Every day is a living nightmare
A few days after the Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, we received the dreaded knock on the door by Israeli army officials. Our 19-year-old son, Itay Chen, was protecting southern Israel with the Israel Defense Forces, and we had not heard from him since the attacks broke out.
Our hearts sank and our minds went to the worst-case scenario. After collecting my breath, I opened the door and was told there was, in fact, “good” news: Itay had been abducted by Hamas terrorists.
Although far from being good news, it could have been worse; my son was alive. My wife and I were now members of a dreadful new club: the families of the 241 hostages who were being held by Hamas.
We’ve now passed the mark of what was once unthinkable: 100 days since my son and the other 135 remaining hostages were captured by Hamas. One hundred days of hell. One hundred days of not knowing.
Every day has been a living nightmare. I wake up not knowing where my son slept last night, whether he was given any food or water, whether he’s been injured. We don’t even know if he is alive.
Itay, a fun-loving kid who loves playing basketball with his brothers, is a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen. I was born and raised in Brooklyn and have many family members still living in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
My wife and I raised Itay and his brothers to appreciate both their American and Israeli cultural heritage. Itay is one of eight American hostages who are still being held by Hamas.
We can’t rest while Itay remains a hostage
Since Itay’s kidnapping, I have embarked on a journey — with the other hostage families — to meet anyone at any place to advance the release of my son. I have traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and other Biden administration officials. I’ve gone to Doha, Qatar, to meet the Qatari prime minister and his team, and to Europe to meet with officials there. My family and those of the other American hostages have barely taken a moment to rest.
Now, as we are past the 100-day mark, we are in shock. Our loved ones are U.S. citizens, backed by the most powerful superpower on the planet, and we are at almost the same place we were when we started this nightmare.
Every day since I learned Itay was a hostage, I wake up wondering what I can do to help him. Should I spend the next hour talking to the media, meeting with members of Congress or chaining myself to the White House in protest?
And every night I ask myself: Have I been able to move an inch toward the release of my son?
Every day my son doesn’t come home is a day where I have failed. But even more so, every day the hostages are stuck underground without enough oxygen, food or water is a day all our political leaders — from President Biden to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — have failed.
In my view, the only successful outcome is one in which each remaining hostage comes home. Anything short of this is failure.
Of course, I can’t pretend to offer a specific strategy for government leaders to achieve this. I’m not a diplomat. But as an investor and analyst, I look at data points to determine what works and what doesn’t. From that vantage point, this much is clear: It’s time for all political leaders to question their working assumptions, which clearly have yet to bring success.
For instance, what are the most effective levers the United States can pull with its international partners? Is America exerting maximum pressure on Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel and, of course, Hamas?
Should the United States continue working for the release of all hostages together, or negotiate separately to get the remaining Americans freed? Should America invite other key countries to a summit to hammer out a solution?
US and Israel must review current strategy
The United States is the richest and most powerful nation in the world, with immense financial, military and political leverage. How is it that other countries, such as Russia and Thailand, have secured the release of their citizens while only four Americans have been freed to date?
Why has America not demanded the release of its citizens as the dominant facilitator in ongoing negotiations?
I urge the Biden administration and Prime Minister Netanyahu to reevaluate their current strategy to secure the hostages’ release. I urge all of our members of Congress to use their bully pulpit to advocate for the hostages. The hostages are running out of time.
Itay will turn 20 on Feb. 2. I pray that on that day he’ll be able to celebrate not only his birthday, but also his freedom from the darkness of his cruel captivity.