Urging the Biden administration to demand the release of all hostages in Gaza.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to lead my colleagues in a Special Order hour. Tonight, I am honored to be joined by my colleagues to continue to shed light and bring broader awareness to the ongoing hostage crisis that plagues the Israeli and Jewish communities around the world.

On October 7, Hamas launched a horrific attack against Israeli civilians, resulting in the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. Recently, we marked 100 days since Hamas' gruesome attack. That is more than 100 days of inconceivable suffering for families who had their loved ones ripped away from them; more than 100 days consumed by nonstop panic, dread, and uncertainty. The pain, shock, and anger burning in the hearts of the Jewish people will never dull.

I know my own heart has felt like it was encased in lead ever since that fateful day, but it couldn't compare to the anguish and heartbreak of the families whose loved ones are still held captive by terrorists.

The last time my colleagues and I came together like this to highlight the hostages Hamas continues to cruelly hold hostage in Gaza, I fervently hoped the new year's arrival would make this advocacy no longer necessary. Our work, advocacy, and pressure has been relentless that Hamas release the hostages and bring theirs and their families' nightmare to an end.

Tragically, however, the nightmare continues.

It is sadly fitting that, since marking 100 days since October 7, we also commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Jewish communities around the world gathered to honor the memory of the 6 million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust and the countless millions of others who perished at the hands of the Nazis and their collaborators.

We look back because we can never forget, Mr. Speaker. We cannot avert our eyes from the horror that humanity is capable of inflicting. We look back not only to memorialize the victims, but to learn from the darkness of the past.

We also look back to not allow humanity to move forward without addressing the root causes that led to the horrific persecution of the Jewish people, which is the main reason we are here tonight--to dissuade those who forget or avert their eyes from the horrors that Hamas unleashed.

I recently returned to Israel and the region with our bipartisan, bicameral congressional delegation that was in the region on October 7, with the sole purpose of galvanizing the multinational efforts to secure the release of each and every last hostage.

In Israel, we met with families who are desperate for any shred of information which might result in their loved ones' release. We visited the kibbutz, Nir Oz, and saw the devastation Hamas wrought. We saw the remains of house after house that Hamas set on fire with the sole purpose of murdering the families inside. I saw firsthand Hamas' maniacal dedication to the destruction and eradication of Israel and the Jewish people.

My message is clear. We will not let Hamas succeed. The United States will continue to stand with Israel, and the Jewish people will live on as we have in the face of oppression and tyranny for millennia.

Tonight, my colleagues and I will speak about those who remain held captive in Gaza, show their beautiful faces, and remind all of us not to forget these victims who are still suffering under terrorist cruelty.

During our last Special Order, I had the honor to speak about the Bibas family: Parents Shiri and Yarden and their boys, Ariel and Kfir.

At 9 months old, Kfir was the youngest hostage taken. On January 18, Kfir turned 1. If Hamas never attacked Israel and never kidnapped women and children, he would have celebrated his first birthday with his family in his community. Instead, his family is left reeling, not knowing.

This cruelty is unimaginable. The Bibas family and sweet Kfir remain in my heart.

Tonight, I will be honoring Agam Berger, who was taken captive on October 7 shortly after calling her father telling him she heard shots fired. I had the opportunity to meet her father, Shlomi, recently.

Seeing the pain in his eyes was unbearable. I can tell in speaking with Shlomi that Agam comes from a very tight-knit family. She has three siblings, including her twin sister.

Mr. Speaker, as the mother of twins, I imagined the panic I would feel and, as a Jewish mother of three young adult children, I saw my own children when listening to his story.

Agam is a selfless young woman, volunteering with adults and children who have special needs and learning disabilities. She is the courageous young woman we all hope our children will grow up to be. Her family and friends proudly speak about her extraordinary musical talent.

You can see her here with her violin. Agam played the violin since she was in the fourth grade.

Mr. Speaker, the next time I am in Israel, I look forward to hearing Agam play her violin and listening to her immense talent, which her father played for us by video.

I want Shlomi and Agam's whole family to know that this Chamber stands with them, and we will continue to fight for Agam's release.

Mr. Speaker, I am joined by a number of Members tonight who all want to stand in solidarity with Israel and press for the release of the hostages.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Landsman).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his relentless support and advocacy for the release of the hostages and his support for Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), our former majority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Hoyer has been a stalwart supporter of the State of Israel for his entire tenure in the United States Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his stalwart leadership and support for the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens) who is also the co-chair of the American Hostage Task Force.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her incredible support, leadership, advocacy, and poignancy in which she has been a supporter of the State of Israel in her hour of need.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Espaillat), who is the fellow co-chair of the bipartisan Latino-Jewish Caucus.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from

New York--where I am originally from--for his incredible leadership and work to bring the Hispanic and Jewish communities together so that we can continue to fight oppression against both of our communities.

Mr. Speaker, yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Manning). She is someone who has become a dear friend of mine. She sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee and has been a national Jewish community leader.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her powerful words and for her leadership as the co-chair of the bipartisan task force to combat anti-Semitism in Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey) who is a member of the Black-Jewish Caucus in Congress and a leader in the Fort Worth area in his district in bringing the Black and Jewish communities together.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for his compassion and his leadership, and for helping us to keep the plight of these hostages in the public eye. As a mother of 24-year-old twins, I know exactly what he means in the way he described that.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel), who has been a mentor and friend of mine for literally my entire adult life.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership in highlighting these two young women, especially given her role as the chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider), the distinguished member of the Ways and Means and Foreign Affairs Committees, and a leader in the Jewish community in his home district.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his relentless advocacy and for his partnership in continuing to help make sure we can keep a spotlight on the plight of these hostages who have been kept in captivity for 115 days now.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Schrier), a dear friend and the first pediatrician ever elected to the United States Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership and appreciate her participation tonight in continuing to shine a spotlight on the captivity of the hostages.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen), a dear friend who has also been relentless in continuing our efforts to make sure that we can apply the pressure necessary to bring the hostages home.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Cohen particularly for highlighting the abomination of an idea that a terrorist entity should be allowed to live on the precipice of a nation and remain a threat, as Hamas continues to do.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Goldman), a new Member who has been a stalwart leader ever since October 7 and beyond, and we appreciate his participation tonight.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York. That is a searing account of the absolute importance that there is in ensuring that we bring the hostages home immediately to their families.

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud and thankful to be joined by a woman who makes our Special Order hour bipartisan, although I know there are far more Members on both sides of the aisle who share our sentiments. She is a woman who has become a dear friend, especially because of the experiences we have shared together unexpectedly over the last several months. The gentlewoman from Iowa and I were part of a bipartisan, bicameral delegation that was in the region on October 7, and returned at the end of December. She is a veteran of the United States Army of 24 years and an ophthalmologist. I appreciate her advocacy and passion about making sure that we bring these hostages home.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller- Meeks).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her solidarity. I thank the Members, Jewish and non-Jewish, Democratic and Republican, for joining us tonight.

Mr. Speaker, I close by reminding the American public, the hostages that they heard about this evening have been held captive in Hamas' captivity for over 115 days. Hamas must end this crisis today by releasing the hostages and allowing them to be reunited with their families.

I hope every American understands that Israel is fighting to rescue her people and to protect her citizens from a terrorist organization that is dedicated to destroying the State of Israel and carrying out the October 7 attack against Israel and the Jewish people over and over again.

The United States will not let Hamas succeed. The Jewish people will not let Hamas succeed. Any people with a shred of humanity would not let Hamas succeed.

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues and I in this Chamber will continue to stand with Israel and fight for the release of those held captive, of those being brutally abused and sexually violated. We will continue to make sure we shine our white-hot spotlights on the plight of these hostages until they are safely home with their families and until Hamas is eradicated as a threat on Israel's doorstep or to anyone worldwide.

``Am Yisrael Chai.'' ``The people of Israel live.'' Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Florida, who has been such a terrific mentor and model for so many of us. I also thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing us this Special Order hour to highlight the horrific conditions, 116 days in captivity, that more than 100 hostages are enduring.

I stand before you today to highlight the tragic case of Noa Argamani, a 25-year-old Israeli woman who many know from a video posted by Hamas on October 7 of her being abducted by terrorists and taken away on a motorcycle, screaming ``Don't kill me.''

This is a still photo from that video. You can see the absolute terror in her eyes as she is being kidnapped into Gaza by armed terrorists who had brutally murdered, raped, and tortured her friends and fellow Israeli citizens.

This is a photo of her before October 7--a beautiful smile, full of life, hope, and a bright future ahead.

Noa should have been released with the other female civilians--one of the categories that Hamas had agreed to release--who were released during the temporary cease-fire 2 months ago, but she was not, and we know why. Hamas broke the agreement with Israel because they did not want Noa to describe the rape and violence that she endured in captivity. We know from other hostages that were released at that time that the same awful sexual violence that occurred with horrific brutality on October 7 continued in the dark, damp, cramped tunnels in Gaza, and that was 61 days ago. Two months.

At least as of 16 days ago, we know that Noa is still alive. We know because Hamas released a psychological terror video of her sitting with two other hostages, but we know nothing about her condition because Hamas refuses to allow the International Red Cross into Gaza to check on the medical conditions of the hostages.

That is required by international law, but somehow for many the fact that Hamas is a designated terrorist organization that has violated countless international laws--and cease-fires, I might add--seems to give them a pass at adhering to international law about medical checks and wellness visits.

Since when do we allow terrorist organizations to dictate how international law operates?

What makes this even worse is that we haven't heard anything from Qatar nor Egypt nor Turkiye nor any other country with influence on Hamas to push and prod them to allow international medical professionals to access the innocent civilian hostages, even though we know from those who have come out that their conditions violate a host of international laws.

I have met with families and mothers of some of the young women who remain in captivity. They, of course, are devastated, worried, and distraught about their daughters. Do you know what keeps them up at night? They assume that their daughters are pregnant with babies of Hamas terrorists. Imagine that being a mother's final thought before she falls asleep and her first thought when she wakes up.

Noa's mother, Liora, has an additional heartbreaking cause for urgency. You see, Liora is currently battling terminal stage 4 brain cancer. She is desperately hoping that she can see her daughter before she passes away.

This tragic story hits me especially hard because my father died of brain cancer 34 years ago, when I was just 13 years old. I remember to this day the last time I got to see my father before he died. I still feel lucky to have been able to say good-bye.

Noa deserves to have that same memory, too, and Liora deserves to die with the peace of mind that Noa is out of captivity and hopefully on her way to healing.

This is an excerpt from a letter that Liora Argamani, Noa's mother, sent to President Biden. She wrote, I am terminally ill with stage 4 brain cancer. All that is running through my mind before I part ways with my family forever is the chance to hug my daughter, my only child, one last time.

We cannot wait any longer. Noa will soon lose her mother. While every single additional day that Noa spends in captivity could be her last, it could also be her mother's last.

The international community must pressure Hamas to immediately cease their illegal kidnapping of more than 100 innocent civilians who are being tortured, raped, and horrifically treated.

Israel has reportedly agreed with the United States, Qatar, and Egypt to make significant concessions to Hamas to release the hostages. It is now incumbent upon Hamas to agree to do so, and for that to happen, the international community must apply pressure on Hamas to agree to the proposed cease-fire and release the hostages.

We must bring them home. We must bring them all home now. Time is running out.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear friend, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and all she has done in this time of such tragedy for the Jewish people.

Mr. Speaker, on October 7, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel by land, air, and sea. They slaughtered over 1,200 innocent civilians, brutalized and raped women and girls, and took more than 240 hostages, including infants, children, the elderly, and even Holocaust survivors.

After long negotiations, many of those hostages were released with devastating trauma, weight loss, and emotional and physical injuries. That is why I am so worried about the remaining hostages.

It has been over 100 days of mourning, of pain, and uncertainty. For more than 100 days these people have been trapped in despicable underground tunnels with no fresh air, no sunlight, little water, little food, no comforts, and certainly no medical care.

Knowing all this is simply unbearable for the hostage families. I have been meeting with the families of the hostages for months, and their stories have been heartbreaking. Their stories have haunted all of us.

Today, I want to share the story of Carmel Gat and her family. Carmel Gat is a 39-year-old occupational therapist who lived in Tel Aviv. She was visiting her parents at Kibbutz Be'eri when Hamas attacked. First, they killed her mother, Kinneret. Then they grabbed Carmel and carted her away. Next, her brother, Alon; her sister-in-law, Yarden; and their 3-year-old daughter, Geffen, were all grabbed by Hamas and thrown into a vehicle.

Just before the vehicle crossed into Gaza, Alon and Yarden, with Geffen in her arms, jumped out of the vehicle and decided to run to safety. Yarden realized that her husband could run faster than she. She said to her husband: You take Geffen, because you can escape.

She sacrificed herself, and Yarden was taken hostage. Thankfully, during the first round of hostage releases, Yarden was released. I watched her reunion with her family with real joy.

Yet, the joy was tempered because Carmel was not released. She was not released because she is not a mother. She has now been held captive for nearly 4 months. Before her capture, Carmel was planning on starting her master's degree studies in October. She is a lover of music and of traveling. She is someone who meets new people wherever she goes.

Carmel is a daughter, a sister, an aunt, and a friend to so many. My heart breaks for her family and her loved ones who do not know where she is, whether she is safe or whether she has been beaten or violated. As a beautiful young woman she is certainly at risk, and I am deeply concerned for Carmel's safety.

I am deeply concerned for all the women who are being held hostage by Hamas because we have seen more and more reports of what Hamas did to women and girls on October 7. They brutalized women. They raped them, they beat them, and they mutilated them. We have heard from those who were released that we need to get those women released as soon as possible because Hamas uses sexual violence as a weapon of war.

We must bring Carmel and every hostage home. I will keep using my voice in Congress to call for their safe return and to demand that the International Red Cross be allowed to visit the hostages in Gaza, administer aid to all of them, and report on their condition. We must hold Hamas accountable for their war crimes.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for scheduling this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I am almost without the ability to speak because of the horrors that have occurred on October 7 with the killing of people and the taking of 240 hostages, 110 believed to be alive and still in captivity by Hamas, is unthinkable.

Unthinkable to normal human beings, but thinkable to Hamas whose purpose in their charter and statements that they have made as recently as a week ago from leaders is to erase Israel from the map and to kill all Jews.

The war is horrific, and I have many people who I represent who have been supporters of mine for years who are upset that I have not called for a cease-fire. I share with them grief at looking at the rubble in Gaza and the people killed. The children that have been killed. The children that have lost their limbs. The children who will never recover from this trauma, but as Bret Stephens said so well in The New York Times this past week: Every single death is the result of Hamas because they broke the cease-fire on October 7. This is the fifth time they have gone to war on Israel and they continue to have the same purpose--to eradicate Israel and to kill all Jews. That is Israel's neighbor.

Bob Dylan one time wrote a song called ``Neighborhood Bully,'' Israel, but Bob said you would be a bully too if those were your neighbors. That is what they have got right now.

Mr. Speaker, Noa Argamani was put on a motorcycle and taken out of Israel. She reached up and said, ``Please, don't kill me.'' She is still there.

Mr. Polin, who Representative Schneider talked about, lost his arm. Who knows what condition he is in now if he is alive?

There are efforts to get the children, the elderly, and the women released with a 6-week or 2-month cease-fire that the United States has participated in, and President Biden is largely responsible for, working with Qatar and Egypt. Hopefully, they will be successful. They should also include the injured, and they should also include the

people who have been killed so they can be reunited with their families and buried.

These are horrific conditions, unfortunately, that are transpiring.

I think it was President Trump who first started referring to the people who tried to take this Chamber, who came in here saying, ``Hang Mike Pence,'' ``Hang Nancy Pelosi,'' and take Members of this Congress as hostages or beat them. One of our Members in particular has also referred to those who have gone to prison, criminals, as hostages. It is a disgrace to these people whose pictures are behind me who are hostages. Those people aren't, and anybody who says it should be ashamed.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

I rise today, as I have before, to speak up for a brave American, Itay Chen. It has been 115 days since Hamas took Itay hostage while he was serving in the IDF. He is only 19 years of age. This Friday is his 20th birthday.

Itay may be young, but I know from his dad, Ruby, that he is already someone of great character, courage, conviction and compassion for others. Crucially, as his dad tells me, he is New York tough. I have no doubt that Itay has the strength, resilience, and determination to endure any hardship, no matter how grueling, no matter how long. That is the type of person Itay is, but he should not have to.

He shouldn't have to sit in a Hamas covert cave for 115 days awaiting rescue. He shouldn't have to wonder whether he will see home again. He shouldn't have to display the courage that I know he is showing this very moment.

Instead, Mr. Speaker, he ought to be at home right now watching tonight's NBA game and rooting for the Lakers, much to his dad's chagrin. He ought to be horsing around with his brothers, Roy and Alon. He ought to be celebrating his birthday with them and their parents, Ruby and Hagit.

Sadly, he is not. Behind every single face we see on these posters tonight are families and friends who have done everything they possibly can to bring their loved ones home. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, Ruby has come to Capitol Hill almost every week since October 7.

Mr. Speaker, these families are doing everything they can, but their Congress is not. It has been 102 days since President Biden requested emergency supplemental aid for Israel, as well as Ukraine. For 102 days, this Congress has failed to deliver.

We are not powerless, but we are lacking in action. We are Members of Congress of the United States of America. We are privileged to be in a position where we can do more than say prayers and offer condolences, although that is important.

This Congress needs to take action to put Israel in the strongest position possible to bring these hostages home safely--every one of them--and to prevent this tragedy from ever occurring again.

For the sake of Itay, his family, and all of the other hostages and their families, we must act. We must show an ounce of the resolve they display every moment this nightmare continues.

Mr. Speaker, I will keep coming to this floor until we do. I will not stop until I see Itay in his family's embrace and all those hostages returned home safely.

Let us act as we can.