Families of several American hostages held in Gaza are calling on US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to offer new ideas for securing the immediate release of their loved ones.
His 22-year-old son, Omer, is a serving Israeli soldier and was abducted by Hamas during the October 7 attacks.
CNN spoke with relatives of three US citizens held in Gaza who expressed frustration that attempts to free their family members had failed.
“Enough is enough,” said Adi Alexander, whose 20-year-old son Edan was serving in the Israeli military when he was abducted by Hamas on October 7.
All the family members who spoke to CNN said they were looking to the Biden administration, as well as Trump and Harris, to find creative ways to increase pressure on Hamas and Israel to reach a new deal.
“We want to hear new ideas from both candidates and for them to commit to adopting a fresh approach to all the players,” said Ruby Chen, another US-Israeli citizen whose 19-year-old son, Itay, was killed during the attacks last year. His body is still being held by Hamas in Gaza.
The family members told CNN that approaches should include the US seeking new pressure points on Hamas and its sponsor, Iran, as well as on other nations with potential influence, like Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, the Gulf state that hosts Hamas officials and has helped facilitate negotiations.