OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Ongoing Hostage Crisis

Floor Speech

Date: Jan. 30, 2024
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. LANDSMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz for doing this Special Order again tonight. This is the second, maybe third time she has done this to ensure that we do everything we can to tell these stories and to convince Hamas and those who fund Hamas to release every single hostage.

I am here to speak about Tsahi Idan. He was kidnapped on the 7th. Just after his daughter was killed, he was taken from his wife and his other child. They heard the sirens. They went into their safe room. Before long, a neighbor, who had been forced by Hamas, forced their way into the bomb shelter.

Imagine being in there with him. His teenage daughter throws herself against the door to protect herself and her family--her dad, her sister, her mom. She was immediately shot and killed.

He sees this, and then is taken, and he has been held hostage for 115 days.

I go back to Israel in a couple weeks, and it is entirely possible that I will get to spend time with him if Hamas releases the hostages.

Like him, I am a father. I have a teenage daughter. I hate this war. I want this war to end. I join all of us who have called for a cease- fire. We can't end this war until all of the hostages are home.

I know that others will stand up tonight and talk about the lives, stories of others being held hostage. Over a hundred still remain in Gaza, including a 1-year-old. It cannot be overlooked by all those pushing for peace and a cease-fire that the quickest way to end this war is for Hamas to release these hostages, to get every single one of these hostages back home to their families and to their communities.

I hope that is something we can all agree on.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his relentless support and advocacy for the release of the hostages and his support for Israel.

House of Representatives. Mr. Hoyer has been a stalwart supporter of the State of Israel for his entire tenure in the United States Congress.

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