The shift in power marks a political moment in the United States, but for the families of American hostages held in Gaza, it is also a moment that will push President Biden and President-elect Trump to work together to bring their loved ones home.

“There’s really not much left to the imagination about these conditions. In Gaza, they’re starved and kept in the dark, in underground tunnels. And this has been over a year, and we’re heading into winter again,” Orna Neutra said. “We don’t have time. They don’t have time to waste, and that’s our urgent call right now. You know, we realize this is a big transition within the government here, but the hostages don’t have time.”

Ronen and Orna Neutra’s son, Omer, were among those kidnapped during Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. The family described how Omar grew up in the United States, visiting Israel and learning more about the country before deciding to serve Israel. They said he was helping protect villages when terrorists ambushed his tank.

They are among the families who spent the week in Washington, meeting with leaders at the Capitol and the White House, as Biden and Trump met for the first time since the election. According to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, American hostages held in Gaza also took part in the meeting, which lasted approximately two hours.

“We sent a signal to the incoming team that we are ready to work with them on this issue, as we do on everything else, because President Biden’s primary mandate for us is to ensure a smooth and orderly transition,” Sullivan told reporters.

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The families then met with President Biden.

“The administration has worked tirelessly to reach an agreement to bring the hostages home as quickly as possible, and the President also assured the families that these efforts will continue,” the White House said in a readout of Biden’s meeting with the families. he said.

“I know that we received information from President Biden about the hostage and that the situation in the Middle East was an important topic of the talks. I think they agreed to cooperate on this issue, as on many other issues. But for us it was. Ronen Neutra: “Until January 20 “It is very important to hear that we will not wait, that teams will start looking at possibilities and seizing the moment,” he said.

Families constantly met with administration officials and took their message beyond party lines. The Neutras spoke at the Republican National Convention over the summer.

Trump said at the time, “I’m telling the whole world, we want our hostages back, and they better come back before I take office, or you’ll pay a huge price.”

During the campaign, Trump claimed that Hamas’ October 7 massacre would not have happened on his watch and promised to “stop the chaos” in the Middle East.

“We believe that this change presents an opportunity. So there are new opportunities. And actually the relationship between President-elect Trump and the Prime Minister should help us reach an agreement as quickly as possible,” Ruby said. Chen is the father of hostage Itay Chen.

The families said they also met with Sen. Marco Rubio’s staff. Trump tapped Rubio this week as his nominee for Secretary of State as he decides on his picks for other key national security and foreign policy roles.

“We have made requests to all national security candidates, including the national security advisor. We hope to be able to meet with them personally this week, but we are available,” Jonathan said. Dekel-Chen is Sagui Dekel-Chen’s father.

The talks took place because the ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas failed and Qatar, which was mediating in the negotiation efforts, stopped its efforts due to the failure to reach an agreement.

US officials continue their meetings with their Israeli and Qatari counterparts.

“Nothing is pending between now and January 20. We continue to work on diplomacy regarding Lebanon, for example. We continue to seek a hostage agreement, even if it is the first step in a hostage agreement,” Sullivan said.

But for families like Neutras:

“On a personal level, our son just celebrated his second birthday in captivity. You know, he is turning 23, he used to be a strong young man. We have no idea about his situation at the moment. We are very worried,” said Ronen Neutra.