By: Fern Sidman

As the war against Hamas continues to reshape Israel’s national priorities, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed the country’s unwavering commitment to securing the return of all hostages—both the living and those killed in captivity—during a series of emotional phone calls this week with families of those still being held by the terror group in Gaza.

According to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office and reported by the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), Netanyahu spoke by phone on Monday with the mothers of Tamir Nimrodi, Avinatan Or, and Eitan Horn—all three of whom were abducted by Hamas during its brutal October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel, an attack that left over 1,200 Israelis dead and sparked an ongoing military campaign to dismantle Hamas’s terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu updated the families on the status of ongoing and “intense” negotiations aimed at freeing the hostages. Though specifics of the diplomatic channels remain classified, the prime minister emphasized that behind-the-scenes efforts are active and unrelenting. According to the information provided in the JNS report, he offered heartfelt assurances that “the government is fully committed to bringing everyone home—alive or deceased.”

The calls came just a day after Netanyahu personally reached out to the family of Eitan Mor, a 24-year-old Israeli who was also abducted by Hamas during the coordinated attacks. As reported by JNS, the prime minister stressed that military operations are still underway to locate and extract captives, and that “efforts to free the hostages are continuing even at this very moment.”

While diplomatic negotiations remain a key component of Israel’s strategy, the government has not ruled out targeted rescue missions. Israel has already conducted a handful of such operations, some successful and others tragically resulting in fatalities, underscoring the immense complexity and risk associated with extracting hostages from a network of underground tunnels and fortified compounds deep within enemy territory.

In a separate development reported by JNS, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir held a private call with the parents of Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American lone soldier from Tenafly, New Jersey, who was captured in uniform on October 7 from his post near Kibbutz Nirim.

Alexander recently appeared in a Hamas propaganda video released over the weekend, further confirming that he remains alive in captivity. He is now believed to be the only remaining American citizen held by Hamas. The video, while widely condemned as psychological warfare, offered a rare and heartbreaking glimpse into the current status of at least one hostage.

During the call, Lt. Gen. Zamir emphasized that Alexander’s safe return is not just an operational goal but a moral imperative for the Israel Defense Forces. “We are doing everything possible to bring them back,” he told Alexander’s family, in a message designed to reassure a nation that has made hostage recovery a centerpiece of its war strategy.

As explained in the JNS report, former hostages have informed Alexander’s family that he was being held under dire conditions in the vast Hamas tunnel network, enduring torture, extreme malnutrition, and psychological abuse. The description highlights the urgency driving Israel’s political and military leaders to resolve the hostage crisis as swiftly as possible, even amid ongoing combat operations.

The October 7 attacks and the subsequent hostage crisis have transformed Israeli politics, society, and military policy. According to the report on JNS, both Netanyahu and Zamir have repeatedly emphasized that hostage recovery is not a secondary objective—it is a national mission that transcends politics, with implications for national security, morale, and the ethical character of the Israeli state.

The families, whose pain is magnified by months of uncertainty, continue to press for clarity and accountability. Many have joined public campaigns, advocacy missions abroad, and high-level meetings with international officials in a bid to raise awareness and apply pressure on both regional actors and Western governments to aid in negotiations.

As reported by JNS, Israeli officials remain tight-lipped about the timeline and details of the ongoing talks, but optimism remains guarded. Qatar, Egypt, and the United States are believed to be central players in mediating between Israel and Hamas, though talks have repeatedly stalled over issues such as the release of Palestinian prisoners and a long-term ceasefire.

What remains certain, as Netanyahu’s recent calls underscore, is that Israel will not abandon its hostages, regardless of the time or cost involved. For the families of those still in captivity, these pledges offer a measure of comfort amid anguish—but the demand for action, not just reassurance, continues to grow louder.

The fate of these hostages remains a defining test of Israel’s resolve, unity, and humanity in the face of terrorist brutality.