Rubio and Huckabee Rally for Justice: Advocating for US Families in Gaza Hostage Crisis

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, recently engaged with the families of Itay Chen and Omer Neutra. These two American citizens have been held posthumously in Gaza since their tragic deaths during the attacks on October 7, 2023.

“The memories of hostages who perished under Hamas captivity will not fade,” Rubio emphasized on X, following his meeting with the grieving families. “Today, I spoke with the relatives of Itay Chen and Omer Neutra. Our commitment remains steadfast to ensure the return of their—and all—remains.”

Accompanying his statement, Rubio shared a photograph capturing the moment he and Huckabee sat with the families.

Huckabee also took to social media to reflect on the meeting, noting the significant progress made during Rubio’s trip to Israel in advancing the U.S.-initiated Gaza peace proposal. Nevertheless, he stressed that the release of all hostages is a critical prerequisite for any plan to succeed.

Ruby Chen, Itay’s father, told Fox News Digital it was the fifth time he met with Rubio since he became secretary of state.

“It was important for us to receive energy from him after a number of days of no hostage releases,” Ruby Chen told Fox News Digital. “He gave us his commitment [that] they are focused on the release of all the remaining hostages with an emphasis on my son, a U.S. citizen. The secretary promised he will pass our meeting highlights to POTUS.”

Ruby Chen also met with Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff during their recent visit to Israel.

Ronen Neutra, Omer’s father, also spoke with Fox News Digital about the meeting. He said that they “learned that the assumption is that Hamas is trying to gain time by prolonging the return of the hostages” so that the terror group can move freely in the areas that no longer have Israeli soldiers.

“After all the work that President Trump and his administration did, they deserve to get the Americans back,” Ronen Neutra said, referring to his son and Itay Chen. “We deserve to get our sons back and get our closure and start to deal with the grief process, something that we’ve been postponing for the last two years.”

Ronen Neutra also expressed his gratitude for the Trump administration for its efforts to end the war and get all hostages — living and deceased — home.

All living hostages are now out of Gaza, but the remains of 13 deceased hostages have not been returned by Hamas. The Israeli government has reiterated its call for Hamas to return the remains of all the hostages.

Neutra and Chen’s parents were vocal advocates for the release of the living and deceased hostages. 

In July 2024, Neutra’s parents spoke at the Republican National Convention, while Chen’s parents spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August 2024. They have also met with people around the world, including several officials, as they fight to get their sons back.

Chen, a 19-year-old dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, was initially believed to have been kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, while serving along the Gaza border, but he was later declared dead by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). His body is still held by Hamas in Gaza.

Neutra, 21, a fellow American-Israeli from New York, was killed in battle that same day, and his body remains in captivity.