Hanna Siegel’s uncle, U.S.-Israeli citizen Keith Siegel, was one of the hostages seen in a Hamas propaganda video Saturday.
As reports of renew hopes for the release of hostages still being held by Hamas, the niece of a U.S.-Israeli captive said that while she believes a deal can be reached, her family is concerned that finalizing any sort of peace agreement may not serve Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political agenda.
President Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Sunday, the White House confirmed to CBS News.
« I do think a deal can be reached. I mean, we know that. A deal was reached in November … so we know that it’s possible, » Hanna Siegel said Sunday on « Face the Nation. » She told moderator Margaret Brennan that the United States « plays a critical role » in the negotiation process, as it did during the initial cease-fire, but acknowledged that « ultimately, this is a negotiation between Hamas and Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel. »
« And one of the things that really worries my family, and worries me, is that it’s arguably not in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s political interest to close a deal, » Siegel said.
Her uncle, , was among those taken hostage by Hamas when the group’s militant wing attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7. Israeli authorities have said 250 people were captured and subsequently hidden away in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu declared war on Hamas, pausing only for a temporary weeklong cease-fire brokered in November, during which more than 100 hostages — primarily women and children — were freed alongside about 240 Palestinians previously detained in Israeli prisons.
Netanyahu has said that freeing the remaining hostages is one of his three main objectives in Gaza. He reiterated those points in February, with the other two being to « destroy Hamas » and to « ensure that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future.
