The United States stands as a beacon of freedom, yet our citizens have been held hostage by an adversary’s terrorist proxies for over 100 days. We know that Congress has a critical role to play in rescuing Americans, which is why we are stepping up to provide bipartisan, bicameral action to bring them home.
We were in the Middle East during Iran-backed Hamas’ assault on Israel on October 7—the bloodiest day for Jews since the Holocaust. At the time, we were bringing a message of peace and optimism for further normalization in the region, but Hamas shattered this dream for millions in the Middle East and beyond. When we woke up to news of the attacks, we knew the world had been altered, and our plans changed. We immediately went to Israel as the first delegation on the ground after October 7 to stand with our ally in the face of this devastation.
While we were there, we met with families in anguish after Hamas had taken our citizens—U.S. citizens—hostage and killed over 30 Americans in the initial assault. Since then, we have remained in constant contact with these hostage families. Still, more than 100 days later, many do not know the status of their loved ones.
That’s why we returned to the region at the beginning of this year, building upon our previous work, fully dedicated to bringing Americans home. As we met with leaders and hostage negotiators in Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and Bahrain, we called on them to step up and put more pressure on Hamas to release our American citizens. We went back to tell the families and heads of state in these countries that the safe return of hostages is our number-one priority.
Still, we must do more. These hostage families deserve answers immediately.
Congress has a role to play in bringing Americans home—one that we have stepped into.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Congressional pressure is working. Already, the world is witnessing some of the effects of this call to action. After our meeting with leaders in Qatar, Qatari negotiators reportedly paved the way for Israel to send medicine to the hostages in Gaza for the first time since October 7.
We are glad to see Qatar has responded to our calls to action. However, this is only a first and modest step. More action is required, and we will continue to fight to get Americans home immediately. After all, every day that Hamas holds Americans captive is a win for evil.
That is why we will continue to hold our partners’ feet to the fire. American lives are on the line, and now is a time for choosing.
As the families of Americans held hostage come to Congress pleading for answers and action, we are more committed than ever to our mission: bringing the American hostages home.
The weight of Congress has helped compel our partners to move Hamas, and we hope more will join us to add to this pressure. Lives are on the line, and our citizens deserve the full force of action from their elected leaders to bring our American brothers and sisters home alive and healthy.
Joni Ernst, a Republican, is the junior U.S. senator from Iowa. Donald Norcross, a Democrat, represents New Jersey’s First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The views expressed in this article are the writers’ own.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.