Father of American hostage in Gaza shares insight on meeting with Biden and Netanyahu

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• Geoff Bennett:

  Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House for the first time since 2020 for separate meetings with President Biden and Vice President Harris. He and President Biden also met with the families of Americans who have been held by Hamas in Gaza for the last 293 days.

  That's as the administration pushes for a deal that would stop the war and release at least some of the hostages.

  Nick Schifrin joins us now with the story — Nick.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Geoff, Netanyahu had the rare opportunity of meeting within a few hours today the commander in chief and the person running to replace him.

  First, he met President Biden in the Oval Office. Biden laughed after Netanyahu called him a proud Irish American Zionist. That's Biden laughing right there. And, later, he met with Vice President Harris. After that meeting, she said that she defended or she believed in the Israel's right to defend itself, but also was concerned about how Israel was conducting the war.

  And she said that there were too many Palestinian civilians being killed. Now, separately, there was a meeting between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu with the families of Americans who were held hostage. You see that meeting right there.

  National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said today a cease-fire hostage deal was closer than before, but was still not done.

• John Kirby, NSC Coordinator For Strategic Communications:

  There are gaps that remain. And our team continues to work with our counterparts in the region to see if we can't close those gaps. We believe that they are of a nature where they can be closed and that we can achieve a deal. But it's going to require, as it always does, some leadership, some compromise and an effort to get there.

• Nick Schifrin:

  And to talk about that part of the story, we turn to Jonathan Dekel-Chen, who met with President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu today at the White House and is the father of Sagui, an Israeli-American who was kidnapped from the Kibbutz Nir Oz trying to defend his family from Hamas terrorists.

  Jonathan, thanks so much. Welcome back to the "News Hour."

  (Crosstalk)

• Nick Schifrin:

  You said today, this afternoon, that you are feeling more optimistic about a possible deal than in the past. Why?

  Jonathan Dekel-Chen, Father of Hamas Hostage: Well, it seems to me that there's been an alignment and a variety of pressures that have come to bear both on Hamas and Hamas leadership in Gaza, as well as on Israeli leadership.

  It's clear that, in terms of Israel, that our military and intelligence communities have determined that it is time to complete this deal. There are some adjustments, some details that need to get hammered out. But it is time. The incremental security improvement that may come from continued fighting is not worth risking the lives of the hostages or the prices that are to be paid by the civilians in Gaza.

  On the other hand, Hamas is under immense pressure, both because of Israel's continued military campaign, the conquest of Rafah, as well as international pressure that's come to bear, mostly as a result, I think, of President Biden's announcement in late may of this three-stage deal.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Laying out the deal, basically, yes.

• Jonathan Dekel-Chen:

  He — it's a — it was a masterful piece of statesmanship by President Biden that made it clear that there is — to the world, that there is a deal on the table that has at least tentative approval from Israel and that it is up to Hamas to decide whether it is a terrorist organization or — that has no concern, granted, obviously, for Israeli civilians and hostages, but also for the people of Gaza.

• Nick Schifrin:

  The details, of course, are still being negotiated. And you said today that the ball is in Hamas' hands.

  And Ronen Neutra, the father of American and Israeli hostage Omer Neutra, said that there is an update going to Hamas soon. So what can you tell us about what details the negotiators are going to be presenting to Hamas in the coming days?

• Jonathan Dekel-Chen:

  Well, I — there's nothing I can really share with you about the details, but the process, I can certainly sort of elaborate on that a little bit.

  We heard in the course of the meeting today with the president and the prime minister that their teams are working as we speak to create not a new proposal, but a kind of refinement of the existing three-stage proposal that they will be sending to Hamas by way of the intermediaries within the coming days.

  And during that discussion is, we really emphasized as hostage families the importance of the urgency here. Hostages are dying. And we know this. So it would seem that that message has been received by Israel. The United States is emphatic about the need to complete this deal quickly.

• Nick Schifrin:

  The regional officials who I talk to, and you have heard this publicly, are a little bit concerned about Netanyahu himself. You talked about how the defense establishment, the intelligence establishment are behind this deal.

  There have been some questions about whether the political leadership, Netanyahu himself. And some officials in the region are worried that he is changing the goalposts on some of this related to the Gaza-Egypt border, related to some of the movement of Gazans from the south to the north, and perhaps about the prisoners.

  Do you believe that Netanyahu is behind this deal?

• Jonathan Dekel-Chen:

  Well, he committed in front of the president of the United States and the national security adviser today that he absolutely is.

  And he also committed, because we asked for it, that there will be no additional terms tacked on by Israel. Of course, there may need to be refinement of certain conditions. And I think that's a part of a negotiated process, no matter what.

  So I think, more than ever before, certainly, our prime minister understands the gravity of the moment. And in a private conversation afterwards that I can share with you, as a historian, my day job, and also as an Israeli, I really impressed upon him the need for leadership right now.

  And even if there is something of a political price that he must pay to enter into this agreement, that the people of Israel will simply applaud and support him. And I hope he takes me up on that.

• Nick Schifrin:

  His private reassurances have been made to you now, to U.S. officials for many weeks.

  In public, most recently his speech to Congress, a joint session of Congress yesterday, he said this:

• Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister:

  We're actively engaged in intensive efforts to secure their release. And I'm confident that these efforts can succeed. Some of them are taking place right now.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Is he saying enough in public like he's saying to you in private?

• Jonathan Dekel-Chen:

  And, look, in full transparency, I have been extremely critical, both in Israel and in the U.S. media, about his seriousness in terms of really completing this deal and rescuing as many hostages that are still alive as possible and returning all the murdered victims' bodies.

  It seems to me today, by virtue of the meeting with the president and with senior U.S. leadership, that he now understands that the buck has to stop. There is no legitimate reason to continue to delay. And the world is watching. The world is watching both sides, both the Israelis and Hamas.

  And I believe that Hamas is also feeling that pressure. The madness has to stop.

• Nick Schifrin:

  I have had you do this on this program multiple times, but let me do it again.

  What do you want the world to know about your son Sagui?

• Jonathan Dekel-Chen:

  Well, my son Sagui is the father of three gorgeous, wonderful little girls, one of whom he's never met. He is a builder and a creator. And maybe one day — there will be one day — where we, I and he, will be able to introduce you to the extraordinary projects, all for the betterment of Israeli society, Jewish and non-Jewish.

  The world, our region, would be so much better served by him being here and a free man than being in a Hamas terror tunnel.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Jonathan Dekel-Chen, always a pleasure. Thanks very much.

• Jonathan Dekel-Chen:

  Thank you.