(19 Aug 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tel Aviv, Israel – 19 August 2025
1. People walking by digital countdown screen in Tel Aviv
2. Hostage photo among Israeli and yellow flags
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rubi Chen, father of Itay Chen:
"We all know that 90% of the framework of the deal is in place. We only have 10% left. And as, using a football analogy, we’re like on the two yard line, we just need the president, Mr. Witkoff and others, just to push it in to the end zone and get the deal done. We know it’s possible."
4. Close up of photo of Itay Chen
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rubi Chen, father of Itay Chen:
"The last couple of days it’s felt like a deja-vu, where we’ve heard again how the meditators are bringing a deal together. We, the families, don’t have much information about that. It’s always difficult piecing information together and understanding what our next steps need to be. But we understand that we can’t be quiet."
6. Tilt up from hostage Itay Chen’s photo to his father Rubi Chen
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rubi Chen, father of Itay Chen:
"The release of the hostages supersedes and comes before, in a timeline, then the dismantling of Hamas. You can dismantle Hamas, but on the way, you might kill some of the living hostages and some of the deceased hostages might get lost forever. Therefore, we ask, simple thing. First, prioritize the release of all the hostages, get them out, and then we can always manage and deal with the Hamas and any other of the external threats that are possessed to the state of Israel."
8. Friend hugs Michael Illouz, father of Guy Illouz
9. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Michael Illouz, father of Guy Illouz:
"I call upon everyone there and the decision makers, get in a room, sit and reach a deal that will bring back all the 50 hostages. Enough, we have to end this. Enough, we call for this everywhere. Enough for us."
10. Various of people playing music and singing on the hostages square
STORYLINE:
A father of a hostage held in Gaza said Tuesday that releasing all captives must take priority over dismantling Hamas.
“First, prioritize the release of all the hostages, get them out, and then we can manage and deal with Hamas and any other external threats posed to the State of Israel,” said Rubi Chen, whose son, Israeli-American soldier Itay Chen, was taken hostage from his military base.
Israel determined that Chen was likely killed on Oct. 7, 2023, and that his body still remains in Gaza.
A key mediator on Tuesday stressed the urgency of brokering a ceasefire in Gaza after Hamas showed a “positive response” to a proposal, but Israel has yet to weigh in as its military prepares an offensive on some of the territory’s most populated areas.
The prospect of an expanded assault on areas sheltering hundreds of thousands of civilians has sparked condemnation inside Israel and abroad. Most war-weary Palestinians see no place in Gaza as safe, not even declared humanitarian zones, after 22 months of war.
Many Israelis, who rallied in the hundreds of thousands on Sunday, fear the offensive will further endanger the remaining hostages in Gaza. Just 20 of the 50 remaining are thought to be alive.
A senior Israeli official said Tuesday that the country’s position on a ceasefire “is consistent and has not changed.”
“Israel demands the release of all 50 hostages in accordance with the guidelines set by the Cabinet to end the war,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.
AP Video by Moshe Edri
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