US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the families of slain Israeli-American hostages Itay Chen and Omer Neutra on Saturday before departing for Qatar, along with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, the officials said on social media.
"We will not forget the lives of the hostages who died in the captivity of Hamas," Rubio said.
"We will not rest until their - and all - remains are returned."
Rubio told the families, according to N12, that the US is examining different avenues for how to increase direct and indirect pressure on Hamas to ensure their loved ones are returned.
Who were Itay Chen and Omer Neutra?
Ruby Chen, father of Itay Chen, said that "there is an understanding that Hamas is dragging its feet in implementing the return of all the hostages, but the US and Israel are coordinated in continuing to apply pressure, with the understanding that this is the window of opportunity to bring everyone back,” according to Ynet.
Itay Chen, 19, was serving in the IDF on October 7 when Hamas terrorists attacked his tank on the Gaza border. He was taken to the Strip with Matan Angrest, the remains of Capt. Daniel Peretz, and Sgt. Timer Leibovitz.
He was initially thought to have been alive, but his family later learned that he had been killed on October 7, 2023. His father, Ruby Chen, has been a loud campaigner for the return of all the hostages, speaking at Hostage Square and around the world, including at the UN Security Council.
Chen was born in the US but grew up in Netanya.
Capt. Omer Neutra, 21, was also killed on October 7. He was a lone soldier from New York and served as a tank platoon commander in the 77th Battalion of the 7th Brigade. He had deferred his enrollment at Binghamton University to join the IDF with Garin Tzabar.
He was abducted with members of his tank crew, including tank gunner Nimrod Cohen, who was released after more than 736 days of captivity.
Thirteen hostages remain in Gaza, and Israeli security officials estimate that the location of four or five of them remains unknown.
Rubio meets with Netanyahu, visits US base in Kiryat Gat in southern Israel
Rubio landed in Israel on Thursday, just as US Vice President JD Vance departed, and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On Friday, he visited the US headquarters established in Kiryat Gat to monitor post-war Gaza.
"To get through all of the things we are trying to achieve, it's not gonna be a linear journey. There's gonna be ups and downs and twists and turns. But I think we have a lot of reason for healthy optimism about the progress being made," he stated.
"A lot of good progress is being made on a number of different fronts," Rubio added.
Rubio said that the future of governance in Gaza still needs to be worked out among Israel and partner nations, but could not include Hamas, adding that any potential role for the Palestinian Authority has yet to be determined. He added that UNRWA cannot have a role in the Gaza Strip and called it a "subsidiary of Hamas."