Jonathan Dekel-Chen, whose son Sagui is being held by Hamas in Gaza, says the only way to bring hostages home alive is through a deal with the "savage terrorist organization."
## **Article:**
Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of an Israeli-American hostage being held by Hamas in Gaza, has issued an urgent plea for a "negotiated agreement with Satan" to secure the safe return of his son and other captives.
Father of American-Israeli Hostage Begs for "Negotiated Agreement with Satan" to Secure Their Release
During an interview with "Fox & Friends," Dekel-Chen emphasized that time is running out for Israel to end the conflict and bring the hostages home.
"Keeping in mind that all of Israel’s military and intelligence, senior command have been saying for weeks if not months the fighting needs to stop in order to get the hostages back, as many as possible alive, but all of the 101 hostages remaining," Dekel-Chen said.
Father of American-Israeli Hostage Begs for "Negotiated Agreement with Satan" to Secure Their Release
He reiterated that seven U.S. citizens remain in Hamas captivity, with four believed to be alive and three confirmed dead. Dekel-Chen urged the Israeli government to prioritize the hostages' release over military victories.
"As far as messaging to the Israeli government, my government, it’s that the time is over for selling, perpetuating this fantasy of total victory over Hamas based on the sacrifice of our sons, daughters, grandparents who are hostages in Gaza," Dekel-Chen said.
Father of American-Israeli Hostage Begs for "Negotiated Agreement with Satan" to Secure Their Release
Dekel-Chen's plea comes as President Biden and Vice President Harris are set to meet with the U.S. hostage deal negotiating team in the White House Situation Room. The meeting aims to discuss efforts to drive toward a deal that secures the hostages' release.
Dekel-Chen expressed confidence in the Biden administration's support, but emphasized that more pressure is needed to bring both Hamas and the Israeli government to an agreement.
Father of American-Israeli Hostage Begs for "Negotiated Agreement with Satan" to Secure Their Release
"I think the Biden administration itself will say that they will have done enough when all of the hostages are home. The seven Americans, of course, but all of the 101. The Biden administration has given us extraordinary support since Oct. 7, as well as Congress, from wall to wall which is quite extraordinary in these very polarized political times," Dekel-Chen said.
However, he acknowledged that the ultimate responsibility for signing an agreement lies with Israel.
"At the end of the day, the Biden administration or any US administration is not the one who has to sign this agreement. The United States together with Qatar and Egypt are trying to broker an agreement between Israel and a savage terrorist organization," Dekel-Chen said.
Dekel-Chen argued that the Israeli government's reluctance to complete a deal cannot be justified by the need to eradicate Hamas.
"The entire senior command of the Army and our intelligence services have said very clearly that Hamas at this moment has been so significantly depleted as a military and a governing organization that that simply cannot be used anymore, except for evidently, domestic political purposes by our prime minister and his coalition, that cannot be used as a reason, really an excuse, anymore to not complete this deal," Dekel-Chen said.
He expressed frustration with the Israeli government's resistance, emphasizing that the hostages' lives hang in the balance.
"The only resistance in Israel is from the government itself, most of its ministers unqualified really to make these kinds of decisions from military and intelligence standpoint," Dekel-Chen said.
As protests erupt in Israel over the government's handling of the hostage crisis, Dekel-Chen urged the Biden administration to increase pressure on the Israeli government to prioritize the hostages' safety.
"To date, I believe that the Biden administration, all of the U.S. families would agree, has done everything in its power to bring those two sides to yes. Clearly, a little more is necessary, and that’s what we’re asking for, that last little push to convince, obviously Hamas and the Israeli government to get to yes, to end this madness, and to get our people home. Americans, the U.S. citizens and everyone else," Dekel-Chen said.
