Nick, in the meantime, I know you have been continuing to cover this ongoing story, horrific and unimaginable, of the many hostages, Americans among them, who are still held by Hamas.

What can you tell us?

NICK SCHIFRIN: Yes, one of President Biden's most pressing concerns is the fate of as many as 13 Americans being held hostage by Hamas right now.

They're among some 200 hostages with 30 different nationalities.

And I spoke to American families of the missing about what they want President Biden to do and about their anguish.

On the morning of October 7, Hamas gunman rampaged, terrorized, and burned and murdered their way through the Israeli kibbutz of Nir Oz.

With a smile, they kidnapped the most vulnerable, the community's oldest and youngest residents, including Israeli-American Jonathan Dekel-Chen's son, Sagui.

JONATHAN DEKEL-CHEN, Father of Hostage: My son Sagui is a 35-year-old father of two little daughters.

And his wonderful wife is pregnant in her seventh month.

He's the son every father, every parent would want to have, a gift to us all and a gift to everything that he touched and everyone who he touched.

NICK SCHIFRIN: As best you can tell, what happened to him on the day of the terrorist attack?

JONATHAN DEKEL-CHEN: They descended on the kibbutz between 6:30 and 7:00 in the morning.

They proceeded to kill anyone they could find or taken into captivity anyone they could find.

Sagui got back to his house with wife and two beautiful little daughters, made sure that they were secure inside the connected bomb shelter, and then, approximately for the next hour, and -- was in hand-to-hand combat with terrorists who were trying to break into his house.

They had already broken into his house, but break into that bomb shelter.

And he continued communicating off and on with the security, with the remnants of the security team and his wife until about 9:30 for -- so, for an hour, and, after that, no contact whatsoever.

NICK SCHIFRIN: I'm a father of two.

My kids are a lot younger than yours.

And I cannot imagine what you're going through.

So I will just ask this simple question, and you answer it in any way you want.

What do you want the world to understand that you're going through right now as a father and a grandfather?

JONATHAN DEKEL-CHEN: I -- I'm sorry, Nick.

I can't answer that question.

I just can't.

I understand where it's coming from, and I can't.

I apologize.

It's too much.

It's just too much.

JOE BIDEN, President of the United States: There's not a single thing more and more worrisome than have someone you love, someone you adore, adores you, and not knowing their fate.

NICK SCHIFRIN: On Friday, President Biden spoke to Dekel-Chen and more than a dozen families of Americans held hostage by Hamas.

JONATHAN DEKEL-CHEN: It left no doubt in my mind that the president specifically and his administration are totally committed to finding the hostages, not just the American -- American citizens among them, but everyone, and returning them home.

NICK SCHIFRIN: How do you balance then the need, it sounds like you believe, to eliminate Hamas, as the Israeli government has promised, with the need to save your son?

JONATHAN DEKEL-CHEN: It's an impossible challenge, Nick.

I mean, two things are true at once.

That organization and its heads must be destroyed.

We cannot continue living like this in these communities or in -- deeper into Israel.

So, that is an absolute truth.

And it's an absolute truth that I and the other families of the hostages want these babies, young men, young women, grannies and grandpas, we want them back for them to live the lives that they were meant to.

NICK SCHIFRIN: What's your message to President Biden as he goes to Israel?

LIZ HIRSH NAFTALI, Great-Aunt of Hostage: My understanding is that our goal is to get the hostages, the American hostages.

And I pray we also get the other hostages from other countries and from Israel.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Liz Hirsh Naftali is the great-aunt of Abigail Moore (ph) Idan, believe kidnapped from the kibbutz of Kfar Aza.

LIZ HIRSH NAFTALI: Abigail's a beautiful 3.5 year-old little girl growing up the youngest of three children.

She's just a kind, sweet little girl.

NICK SCHIFRIN: During the attack, gunmen killed Abigail's mother and chased down Abigail's father and two older siblings.

LIZ HIRSH NAFTALI: While they were running, Abigail in her father's arms, he was shot and killed.

The two older kids ran home, locked themselves in the closet.

The little girl managed somehow to get to her neighbor and knock on the door.

They took this child in.

The family that took her in, the husband went outside to see what he could do.

When he came home, his wife and three kids and Abigail were missing.

So that's where we are right now.

I think she's in Gaza and I hope and I pray being taken care of enough that she's OK.

It's heart-wrenching.

It's really hard.

It's so hard, and it hurts so bad.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The only pro of life of any of the 200 or so hostages is from this Hamas video.

The family of 21-year-old Mia Schem today told the media they want this propaganda video shown, and they want the world to do everything to bring them back home.

Do you want the U.S. to push for a delay until the hostages, including your great-niece, can be saved?

LIZ HIRSH NAFTALI: They understand that we need to get the hostages out, American hostages and other hostages.

And so I do hope that it will be delayed, but I also hope that it gives time for the people on the other side to get to places where they will be safer.

That's my hope.

NICK SCHIFRIN: That is all the families of the missing can do, hope that their loved ones can somehow be saved.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Nick Schifrin.