Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, doesn't think there is "any room for optimism right now."
Sagui Dekel-Chen was taken on Oct. 7 when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, prompting a nearly year-long conflict in Gaza.
The international community has been working to broker a cease-fire, but those attempts have not been successful.
"In truth, the negotiation process has been stalled now for at least a couple of weeks," Jonathan Dekel-Chen told Scripps News.
In June Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF operations in Gaza would be winding down as further operations were set to focus on confronting the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
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"I think that the problems are even greater, really, in terms of solving this horrible situation — both in terms of the 101 hostages who are still held by Hamas and its allies," Dekel-Chen said. "As well as the enormous suffering of the people of Gaza. And that crisis, that combined crisis, is much greater than the events ... in Lebanon."
This week video and reports surfaced showing dramatic moments in multiple locations in Lebanon where various communications devices and electronics exploded, injuring Hezbollah operatives.
The group blamed Israel for the deadly explosions, and it's unclear how the events might further escalate tensions in a region that is already a powder keg.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of not escalating violence any further.
"The United States did not know about, nor was it involved in these incidents — and we're still gathering the information and gathering the facts," Blinken said. "Broadly speaking, we've been very clear, and we remain very clear, about the importance of all parties avoiding any steps that could further escalate the conflict."
