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Floor Speech
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Ms. ROSEN. Thank you, Senator Ernst. I appreciate it.
Mr. President, 291 days--that is how long it has been since families of those being held hostage by Hamas have not been able to hug their loved ones--291 days, 9\1/2\ months of not being able to rest, to sleep, to breathe; 9\1/2\ months of heartbreak; 9\1/2\ months of agony beyond imagination.
I have met with these families in Israel and here in the Capitol many times since October 7, and my heart is shattered with each and every single conversation. And each time I met with them, their ask is clear: that we, the United States and the international community, do everything we can to help them reunite with their loved ones. Their resilience, their strength, their perseverance--it is nothing short of extraordinary.
Hostages who survived and have been released have shared stories about their inhumane treatment--being kept in dark tunnels with little to no food to eat, some even being tortured, not knowing if they would live or die, not seeing the light of day, and, surely, not knowing if they would ever see their beloved families again.
We have also seen evidence of Hamas's use of sexual violence both on and after October 7, including women who were raped in captivity.
While some hostages have been reunited with their loved ones in the last few months, there are still families, including those of eight Americans held hostage by Hamas--still held hostage by Hamas--who have yet to be whole again--yet to be made whole again, and we will not forget them--291 days.
And there are families whose ability to see or hug their loved ones have been taken away forever--forever--by Hamas terrorists, their loved ones having died at the hands of those terrorists, like the family of Itay Chen.
I met with Itay's father, Ruby, just days after the October 7 terrorist attack. As a mother, as a Jew, and as a human being, my heart broke when hearing about Itay's story and the unimaginable pain his parents are carrying. They are with us here in the Capitol today.
I want to apologize. I am sorry I have to give this speech. I know how much you loved your son.
Itay was multitalented, fun-loving, a Boy Scout who played basketball. He was an American who served in the Israeli Defense Forces and was only 19 years old when Hamas launched its brutal terrorist attack on October 7, when Hamas murdered him.
For months, we didn't know about Itay's condition, whether he was held hostage or even if he was alive. We held out hope. We held out hope. But the unimaginable heartbreak of going through this nightmare, it didn't stop Ruby. It never stopped Ruby.
He has come to Congress multiple times to remind us of our responsibility to his son and to all of the hostages being held by Hamas. His strength--your strength, Itay's parents--and resilience is an inspiration to us all.
Earlier this year, we learned Itay was one of the many souls who Hamas brutally murdered--again, beyond imagination. And while it was reported that he was killed 291 days ago, his body--his body--is being held captive by the Hamas terrorists who murdered him, and this has denied Ruby, denied Itay's parents and his family, the right to bury him, to mourn him, and to sit shiva for him.
It matters to the family. He and his wife Hagit and Itay's siblings have just been forced to live in grief and in limbo, and it is a tragedy that no one should ever have to go through.
There is a proposed deal to free the hostages. And with reports of progress in these negotiations, now is the time to see it through to the end. We must free the hostages for Itay, for his family, for the seven other Americans held by Hamas, for the remaining 120 hostages from two dozen countries--hostages who are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist; who are someone's sons or daughters, sisters or brothers, mothers, fathers, loved ones who Hamas refuses to release. These are someone's loved ones. Hamas refuses to release them.
And as we continue to pursue every viable path to bring them home, we will hold them in our hearts and hold Hamas's feet to the fire. We stand with the hostages and their families. They are not forgotten. Our work isn't done until we bring them home.
Thank you again, Senator Ernst, for bringing us all together today.
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