Ernst, Wagner, colleagues press for release of Hamas-held hostages during Middle East trip

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), co-chairs of the Abraham Accords Caucus, worked with a bipartisan, bicameral delegation that traveled to the Middle East on getting the hostages held by Iran-backed Hamas released to the senior leadership and lead negotiators in Egypt, Israel, Qatar, and Bahrain.

“I am proud to lead the charge to bring Americans home by delivering a strong bipartisan, bicameral message to our partners in the Middle East and use the full congressional leverage of this delegation to bring Americans home,” Sen. Ernst said on Tuesday after returning from the trip.

Three months after the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, Sen. Ernst said more must be done to secure the release of all hostages, especially Americans, held by the terrorist group. 

“Through productive meetings, we delivered our message face-to-face with senior leaders and lead hostage negotiators to reunite families,” she said. “Every second counts.”

Rep. Wagner said that Hamas must be eradicated.

“I went to see the situation on the ground and speak directly to international partners who are working with us to bring American hostages home,” said the congresswoman. “Meeting with the families of hostages was especially heartbreaking. As we grieve the more than 30 Americans lost to Hamas terrorists, we insist on the immediate release of the remaining American hostages.”

The delegation’s meetings with heads of state and government officials in Israel, Egypt, Qatar, and Bahrain, said Rep. Wagner, will better inform the work of Congress “to ensure greater stability and safety in the region and help bring home the hostages to their families.”

The delegation led by Sen. Ernst and Rep. Wagner included six other lawmakers, such as U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), who also said the group’s meetings resulted in productive conversations that made it clear that regional leaders are committed to securing the release of the Americans and Israelis still held by Hamas. 

“We also made clear in our meetings with family members of Americans still held hostage, with displaced survivors of the Hamas attack… as well as in our updates from Mossad and IDF officials, that our bipartisan, bicameral congressional delegation came back to the region to press for the release of hostages,” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. “We left knowing that our message was well-received and that the hostage release mission remains paramount in the region.”