Four American hostages remain in Hamas captivity a year after Oct. 7 massacre

Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed Monday that the U.S. "will continue to work tirelessly" to bring home the four American hostages who have now been held by Hamas for more than a year inside the Gaza Strip.

The four that remain — Keith Siegel, 65, Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, Omer Neutra, 22, and Edan Alexander, 21 — were abducted by the Palestinian terrorist group exactly one year ago Monday on Oct. 7, 2023. The abductions took place alongside the murder of approximately 1,200 Israelis.

"Hamas also took 254 people hostage that day, including 12 Americans. Four of those Americans – Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Itay Chen, Judy Weinstein, and Gad Haggai – were murdered by Hamas. Four were released through an agreement the United States negotiated last November, but four remain in captivity in Gaza: Edan Alexander, Keith Siegel, Sagui Dekel-Chen, and Omer Neutra," Blinken said in a statement.

"There are also an estimated 97 other hostages who remain held in Gaza today. They include men, women, young boys, young girls, two babies, and elderly people from more than 25 nations," Blinken added. "Hamas should release these hostages immediately. Every single one of them must be returned to their families, and the United States will continue to work tirelessly to bring them home."

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Blinken, who on Monday called Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel the "largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust," also said "It is time to reach a ceasefire agreement that brings the hostages home, alleviates the suffering of the Israeli and Palestinian people, and ultimately brings an end to this war."

The youngest of the hostages, 20-year-old Edan Alexander, graduated