Hostage families call on Netanyahu to delay Congressional address until deal is reached

"Seal the deal and bring them home before it's too late," families said.

 Israelis gather in Tel Aviv for the release of Gaza hostages on November 25, 2023 (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)
Israelis gather in Tel Aviv for the release of Gaza hostages on November 25, 2023
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should prioritize finalizing a hostage release deal before traveling to the US and addressing Congress, The Hostage and Missing Families Forum said in a statement on Monday. 

"He has the freedom to travel wherever he wants, these hostages can’t. We thank the US government for its ongoing support in efforts to achieve the deal and release all hostages," the statement said.

According to the families, a speech without concrete action to seal the seal and bring their loved ones home is premature and misses the mark of this war's top priority, the return of all the hostages

"The proposed deal, widely supported internationally, offers a tangible path to releasing ALL 120 hostages - the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for proper burial," according to the statement."

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ministers and MK's at a 40 signatures debate, at the plenum hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on May 27, 2024. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ministers and MK's at a 40 signatures debate, at the plenum hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on May 27, 2024. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

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Focus on action not words, the families said. 

"Seal the deal and bring them home before it's too late."