‘Sorry, I Have… I Have A Son Who’s The Same Age’: Jen Psaki Overcome With Emotion In Powerful Segment With Families Of Hostages Held By Hamas
MSNBC host Jen Psaki was choked up and overcome with emotion more than once on Sunday while speaking with family members of American hostages held by terrorists in Gaza after being kidnapped in the brutal massacre committed by Hamas against Israeli civilians on October 7.
Psaki sat down with three families whose loved ones are still in captivity or have been returned after being in captivity for months.
The powerful emotion interview was moving and heartbreaking, and Psaki was repeatedly overcome with emotion while speaking with the suffering family members who just want to see their loved ones home safe and alive, over seventy days in to the nightmare after the brutal atrocities committed by Hamas.
Below is the rush transcript of the segment.
JEN PSAKI, MSNBC HOST: On Wednesday, the president met with the families of Americans being held hostage. And the next day I got the chance to sit down with three of the families whose lives have been shattered since October 7th when their loved ones were taken captive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PSAKI: I wanted to start by asking you to talk about your loved ones who are still being held by Hamas, or who have, of course, returned, in your case, Liz. Because it’s so important for people to understand these are human beings and people who have lived lives and hopefully will continue to.
Tell us about your loved one.
RONEN NEUTRA, FATHER OF OMER NEUTRA: Omer was born in New York City 22 years ago, a month after 9/11.
ORNA NEUTRA, MOTHER OF OMER NEUTRA: Omer’s a very optimistic kid. He’s a kid that’s gonna break the ice. You know, he loves people. And we really hope that it’s keeping him — keeping him strong there, you know, that kind of part of him that’s optimistic and — and happy, and that he’s been able to maintain that. We really hope.
ADI ALEXANDER, FATHER OF EDAN ALEXANDER: Edan and his sister actually grew up here in Maryland, 20 minutes from this building. And he was kidnapped from the army post. The post was surrounded by 20 Hamas terrorists. And he had to surrender.
YAEL ALEXANDER, MOTHER OF EDAN ALEXANDER: He called me right before they took him, and just to tell me, that I was hearing all the bombing, and he told me, “Mom, I’m — I’m OK. I’m seeing scary things.”
He spoke really fast. And then I said to him, “OK, please, Edan, be safe. I love you.” And — and that’s it.
PSAKI: And you’ve been out there ever since, telling people about him so that they remember who he is.
I know Abigail is back home. She went through quite an ordeal.
You described her — sorry, I have a — I have a son who’s the same age, about — a little over — older.
You described her as a light, kind of, a light in the world, which is such an amazing visual, at this time where people are celebrating Hanukkah, around the country and around the world. Tell us a little bit about how she’s doing and how her siblings are doing?
LIZ HIRSH NAFTALI, GREAT-AUNT OF FREED FOUR-YEAR-OLD HOSTAGE: Well, Abigail is a light. And we are blessed that she did come back after 50 days as a hostage.
I was in Israel last week, and I got to play and just be with Abigail and her siblings. And her siblings also, they — they have been put in — under the torture of seeing their parents being murdered. But what we all know is that, when we give love, and when children are loved and they are embraced by grandparents and aunts and uncles and by community, that is going to be what can give them an opportunity for a beautiful life.
PSAKI: You all visited the White House yesterday with President Biden. And I obviously worked for him for some time. And I certainly know that there’s sensitivity about what you can and cannot talk about. But tell me a little bit about that meeting.
R. NEUTRA: We really thanked him for, you know, his leadership role and his administration, in bringing close to 100 hostages back. We’re really happy for the families. It’s mostly women and — and children, which we are thrilled that are together with their families. But we also are wanting our men and the rest of the hostages to come back.
And we urged his administration to do whatever they can and pull any leverage they have to — to bring us closer to this point where we’re going to be together with our son.
PSAKI: There was a cease of military action, and a number of hostages who were released, over 100. Since then, there’s obviously been military action that has resumed. Do any of you wish that that had not resumed?
Y. ALEXANDER: I’m just gonna say, it’s 70 days. I’m a mom. I’m an adult. And I’m waiting, and it’s super hard. It’s — it’s so hard to wait. But we need to be patient and to keep praying that it’s gonna happen, like, we will have our reunion. But it’s so hard.
HIRSH NAFTALI: While it’s really hard to talk about, I think we need to acknowledge that there are wounded people that arrived, were kidnapped, arrived in Gaza with a blown-off arm, with bullet wounds, with illness. We don’t believe they have been seen by anybody that is reputable.
We know that the International Red Cross has not seen them. We know that Doctors Without Borders has not seen them. No humanitarian group has seen them.
I know you said we have to be patient. We can’t be patient anymore. These are our families. These could be your family.
R. NEUTRA: There’s a lot of pressure on Israel, and probably on — with good reason, to supply humanitarian support to — to Gaza, and to ease a little bit the pain of — of the people there.
Where is the humanitarian support to our kids? Who is visiting them? Who is making sure they’re fed, they’re getting water, they’re getting air?
Who is giving them medicine if they need it, taking care of their wounds?
O. NEUTRA: We’re talking, still, about 137 people, right, elderly people, still children in there, women, men…
PSAKI: Who — who need to have access.
O. NEUTRA: Yes. Where is the world on that? This is where it all started.
R. NEUTRA: How come the Red Cross is not getting visitation rights? It was part of the agreement with Hamas. Israel fulfilled their side. How come Hamas is not letting the Red Cross come in, as a neutral force, just to see how the kids are doing, how the elderly are doing, give us a sign of life?
O. NEUTRA: We are stuck in October 7th.
R. NEUTRA: Almost 70 days without knowing where they are, how they are doing, how they’re wounded, what’s going on. How can we let it go on like this?
PSAKI: I did want to ask you if there’s something you’d like to say to your son, if he could hear you right now?
Y. ALEXANDER: I just want to say that we love you. Just be strong, be brave. We are coming to get you. People are working to get you.
A. ALEXANDER: Around the clock, and you’re coming out.
Y. ALEXANDER: Exactly. And you’re coming out.
A. ALEXANDER: Edan is 19 years old, his 20th birthday on December 29th, so two weeks from now. And we would like to have him back by this date, to be with his little brother that misses him — I know that — and with his sister.
HIRSH NAFTALI: Our goal is that they are home for Christmas. But our goal also is that nobody takes their foot off the gas pedal for the next 10, 11 days. Because they do need to come home.
PSAKI: Go ahead.
O. NEUTRA: Tonight is the last night of Hanukkah. We’ve been praying for a lot of miracles. They haven’t happened yet. We have to keep our stories –please help us keep their stories, of all the hostages, of our son and everyone, front of — front of mind.
A. ALEXANDER: Our boys are in the dark. It’s holidays of light, both Hanukkah and Christmas. But our boys are, our families are in the dark. We need them out.
PSAKI: My thanks to those brave families for spending some time with me this week, who are just out there talking about their boys, as much as they can.
Watch above, via MSNBC.
