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Floor Speech
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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, later this afternoon, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will address a joint meeting of Congress.
It has been 291 days since Israel suffered the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust at the hands of evil Hamas terrorists. The pain of October 7 remains fresh because, to this day, at least 116 Israeli hostages remain in captivity, including women, teenagers, the elderly; including American citizens; including New Yorkers--my constituents.
Yesterday afternoon, I met with some of the families of the hostages, where I reaffirmed a solemn promise I made months ago and each day since: I am doing everything in my power to ensure their loved ones come home safe and sound. Today is yet another opportunity to fight for just that.
Even though I disagree with many of Bibi Netanyahu's policies, I will attend the speech because the United States' relationship with Israel remains ironclad and transcends any Prime Minister or President, and we must do all we can to get our hostages home.
I told the families of the hostages I will continue supporting the Biden administration and all negotiators as they push Hamas to agree to a deal that will release the hostages and bring relief to Gaza. The negotiators have agreed on a framework, and now is the time to close the deal.
Later today, I will also meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu during a bipartisan, bicameral meeting of the congressional leadership. I promised the families I would relay their message directly with the Prime Minister: Do all you can to bring the hostages home now.
Many of the families I met with yesterday were the very same families I met with during my trip to Israel just a few days after the October 7 attack where their loved ones were captured. I can only imagine what the last 8 months have been like for these courageous souls, not knowing if their loves ones are even alive.
I was particularly glad to meet with some of the families from New York, including the family of Itay Chen, who was murdered on October 7 and whose body is still being held hostage. I also met with the family of Omer Neutra, who remains in captivity and whose family will be attending the speech as my guests.
Omer was serving as a tank commander near Gaza when he was taken, but back home he had his whole life ahead of him. He is a student athlete, a Knicks fan, the captain of his school's basketball team, and was set to attend Binghamton University, one of the finest universities in the country, after his service. And there are many, many just like Omer whom we still need to bring home.
There is simply no time to waste with a deal within reach. Yesterday, another hostage family member told me the tragic story of her family. Her mother and brother were both taken captive by Hamas on October 7. Today, her mother is home, released in the November hostage deal, but her brother is dead, murdered in captivity. As she told me, ``the difference in fates of her mother and her brother lies at the negotiating table.''
The survival of the hostages depends on closing a deal now. The Prime Minister must make bringing the hostages home a top priority, and I promised the families that is what I will tell him when we meet this afternoon.
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