The Gaza hostages Germany would rather forget

Euractiv

2 days ago

BERLIN – Few issues this summer have gripped Germany as much as Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Nearly two years into the conflict, Germany continues to wrestle with how to respond to Hamas's 7 October massacre and Israel's devastating military campaign, always through the prism of its historical responsibility for the Holocaust. Often lost in the public discourse, however, is that seven German citizens remain in Hamas captivity, making Germany the only European nation with nationals still held hostage after 7 October.
Germany's collective failure to recognise the hostages as their own has not been lost on the hostages' families, who accuse the country of paying little more than lip service to their captive citizens' plight.
'We got a lot of empathy, but when it comes to action, Germany doesn't have a seat at the table,' said Ruby Chen, the father of Itay Chen, a 19-year-old Israeli soldier, whose tank division defended a kibbutz from Hamas' assault on 7 October. Itay, who holds German, Israeli, and US citizenship, is among roughly 50 people still missing since that day.
In March 2024, Israel declared him dead, but his parents – Ruby and Hagit – have received no evidence of his death, and continue travelling the globe to lobby governments to press for his release, unimpressed by both Israel's and Germany's efforts.
If Ruby were to meet Merz, he would tell him to "be more active in negotiations, to end the war, and get the hostages out," he said.
'Not important enough'
Negotiations on hostages with Hamas typically run through intermediaries such as Egypt and Qatar. Releases are mostly selected based on humanitarian criteria, which has also led to the release of 14 German citizens so far.
But other governments have gone further: the US, for example, leveraged private-sector intermediaries to open direct channels to Hamas, leading to the release of one American national. France has reportedly managed to put French citizens on priority release lists through proactive influence operations.
By contrast, Germany hasn't talked to Hamas or pressured the negotiators, the Chens say.
German officials told them that they 'do not have the resources to effectively negotiate' for their nationals. But the family disagrees: 'We believe they have an obligation to do whatever is in their power to free German hostages," Ruby said.
'The German hostages haven't been forgotten, but they're seen as not important enough,' Hagit added.
All but implicit in the Chens' concerns is the question whether the German government would handle things differently if the missing were not Jewish dual citizens named Itay, Tamir, Alon, Shav, Gali, Ziv, and Rom, but ethnic Germans, born and raised in the country.
Many Israelis are also German nationals thanks to a loosening of German citizenship laws in recent years as part of the country's reckoning with the Holocaust. Itay's German citizenship came from Hagit, whose own mother was a Holocaust survivor from Bad Reichenhall, a Bavarian spa town. In 2011, an estimated 100,000 Israelis had German passports – a figure likely to have grown since a 2021 law eased access for descendants of Nazi victims.
Yet awareness in Germany of the remaining hostages is minimal. 'It's a disgrace that this plays hardly any role in German politics," Uwe Becker, the antisemitism watchdog of the regional government of Hesse, said earlier this year.
Berlin long avoided even acknowledging the number of its citizens in captivity, citing security concerns. The current conservative government also dropped its predecessor's policy of treating all hostages equally regardless of nationality, but has done little more than add boilerplate references to communications.
Similar accusations have been levelled at the UK government, which insists that "safe release of all hostages, including British nationals and those with strong UK links, has been a priority for this government since the start."
French President Emmanuel Macron, by contrast, held a public ceremony at the Dôme des Invalides, with soldiers holding up images of 42 French victims of 7 October. His government celebrated French hostage releases with jubilant statements.
At odds with Berlin
The Chens have tried to raise awareness with op-eds, interviews and meetings with German government representatives, including former Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the new foreign minister, Johann Wadephul.
They say, they are particularly grateful to the German ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, a former TV host and spokesperson to Angela Merkel, who helped them set up meetings.
But their demands sit awkwardly with Berlin's position. They notably call for an immediate ceasefire, arguing that Israel's military operations has failed to secure the hostages' release.
'Both sides are to blame, and we don't care who is more to blame right now,' Ruby said.
It was time for the international community "to get both sides to the table," he added, even if that would amount to rewarding Hamas for its crimes.
During a recent trip to Berlin, the Chens also discussed potential sanctions against Hamas's financing operations with the German finance and interior ministries. They believe that Germany should lead the EU in joining US sanctions, and also pressure countries like Turkey, a NATO ally, which they accuse of serving as Hamas' financial hub.
The Chens were accordingly stunned by Chancellor Friedrich Merz's unprecedented decision to limit arms exports to Israel – but not because they believe that Israel's approach is the right one, as they hasten to add.
"We're wondering how this measure will contribute to the release of Itay and the other six German hostages," Ruby wrote in an op-ed for Bild, a German tabloid.
No pressure was put on Hamas, he added.
The urgency is mounting as Israeli forces advance into areas where the hostages are believed to be held. Recently released footage also showed the precarious health of emaciated captives in Gaza's tunnels – scenes that left Hagit in tears.
'We're worried that the hostages still alive will die and that those already dead will vanish without anyone telling us what happened to Itay,' Ruby said.
'We must have certainty,' Hagit added.
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