Media Contact 202-226-8467

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast delivered opening remarks at a bipartisan roundtable with family members of hostages being held by Hamas following the horrific October 7th terrorist attacks on Israel.

WATCH HERE

-Remarks as delivered –

Good morning. Thank you for taking the time to be with us today.

I have some formal remarks to give, but I think – given what occurred yesterday with the return of Marc Fogel and what will occur today – I think it puts us all in a little bit more hopeful light. We know that we are in a different time, a different place, and a different commitment on behalf of the United States of America than what we’ve experienced in the past. I think that’s something that gives every single one of us hope. It should give us all hope. It gives me more hope because I do know the commitment of President Trump, and his commitment is that we don’t leave our men behind.

I want to thank you all for being here today. And, formally, I do want to congratulate President Trump for securing the release of Marc Fogel from Russian captivity. As I just stated, President Trump has a commitment of leaving no man behind. It’s important to reflect on that. President Trump is showing that when an Americans are being wrongfully detained abroad, the U.S. government will move Heaven and Earth to get them back. That is a stark difference from what Marc had experienced before that.  

We know that we have Americans and our allies being detained abroad by Hamas in Gaza. I welcome you families who have come here to D.C. to share your stories with us.

I think we all know that there was a bit of a blizzard that took place last night here in Washington and there were questions by a number of individuals – shouldn’t we cancel this roundtable? How can we expect people to come in for this with the snow on the ground? And the response to everybody that had a question was simple: How could we say to any one of you that have individuals being detained in unfathomable conditions that we can’t do something simply because of a little white powder on the ground? And I thought it was just a interesting place to really put in to perspective how we take things for granted in our First World situation that we live in each and every day, that are nothing, nothing compared to what your families have had to go through.  

I can only imagine the pain that you and your loved ones, who are held hostage, are experiencing. I can’t put myself into that situation and I pray to God I never have to.

Sixteen months after the brutal October 7 massacre, Hamas still holds dozens of innocent people hostage in Gaza, including six Americans.

We remember each one of them, and we will not rest until they are all safely brought home and Hamas is eradicated.

Today, we will have the opportunity to hear from the family members of six hostages being held by Hamas.

We have Ronen Neutra with us – Orna Neutra, Ilana Gritzewsky, Moshe Lavi, Daniel Lifshitz, Gal Dalal, and Ilay David. Thank you all for being with us today. And you will all have the opportunity to introduce yourselves more thoroughly.

Congress and the world must hear from each of you because there are individuals in Washington and across the globe who will deny, and they will whitewash, and they will simply ignore what has taken place. It’s up to us to make sure that does not take place.

They will make excuses for the terrorists who raped and slaughtered 1,200 innocent Israelis and Americans on October 7th. They will make excuses for the animals who continue to hold Americans hostages in Gaza right now as we speak.

 There is no path to ending this conflict without the release of hostages. The purpose of our meeting today is to keep their freedom at the top of the agenda. We need to bring them home now.