Maya Roman’s family member Carmel Gat ‘helped’ other hostages, but now may be ‘left there all alone’

WEEKEND, FAMILIES REVEALED A REPLICA THEY MADE OF HAMAS TUNNELS WHERE THEY BELIEVE HOSTAGES ARE BEING HELD, AT LEAST SOME OF THEM, TO MAKE SURE THE PUBLIC ATTENTION DOES NOT FADE FROM THE DESPERATE FIGHT OF THEIR LOVED ONES. JOINING ME NOW IS MAYA ROMAN WHO KNOWS ONE OF THE HOSTAGES WHO ALSO HAD A FAMILY MEMBER, FIRST SHE WAS KIDNAPPED VISITING HER PARENTS OCTOBER 7th. SO, MAYA, YOU HAVE A RELATIVE, YOUR COUSIN WHO DID GET OUT IN ONE OF THE EARLIER RELEASES BUT CARMEL HAS BEEN THERE 107 DAYS YOU'RE ADVOCATING ON HER BEHALF. WHAT DO YOU KNOW? >> WE'RE HERE BECAUSE WE WANT TO SHOW PEOPLE WHAT THEY'RE FIGHTING FOR. WHEN THEY CAME BACK, IT WAS THE HAPPIEST DAYS OF MY LIFE WHICH IS QUITE WEIRD TO SAY THE HAPPIEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE IS CONNECTED TO THE WORST PERIOD OF YOUR LIFE, IT REALLY IS THAT WAY, THE FIRST THING SHE ASKED ABOUT WHAT SHE CAME BACK, IS WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT CARMEL, RELEASED AFTER 54 DAYS IN CAPTIVITY, WE WERE CERTAIN, BECAUSE THE DEAL WAS FOR ALL OF THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN THAT CARMEL WAS GOING TO BE RELEASED THE FOLLOWING DAY. AND WHEN THE DEAL FELL THROUGH, THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I SAW HER BREAK DOWN SINCE SHE CAME BACK. SHE TOLD US, WE HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO BRING CARMEL BACK. THAT'S WHY SHE'S ALWAYS BEEN INTERVIEWED. AND EVEN THOUGH SHE REALLY HATES IT, NOW, SHE'S ASKED ME AND MY BROTHER TO COME HERE AND SPEAK ABOUT CARMEL. CARMEL, WE KNOW FROM THE HOSTAGES THAT WERE RELEASED THAT SHE'S ALIVE. SHE WAS HELD WITH A COUPLE OF TEENAGE BOYS WHO TOLD US SHE IS HELD IN QUITE DIFFICULT CONDITIONS, BUT THEY ALSO SAID THAT SHE WAS HELPING THEM DEAL WITH CAPTIVITY. THAT SHE TAUGHT THEM YOGA AND MEDITATION AND HELPED THEM KEEP A JOURNAL. AND THAT'S WHO AND THAT'S WHO S. SHE'S AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST. BUT WE ARE VERY CONCERNED BECAUSE THEY WERE RELEASED AND TAKEN FROM THERE, AND WE'RE AFRAID THAT SHE WAS LEFT THERE ALL ALONE, SO SINCE THAT DAY WE'VE BEEN HOLDING YOGA EVENTS IN HER HONOR IN HOSTAGE SQUARE AND ALSO HERE. BUT WE ARE VERY MUCH CONCERNED AND TIME IS NOT ON OUR SIDE. >> THERE HAVE BEEN PROTESTS, I SAW THEM MYSELF WHEN I WAS IN ISRAEL LAST WEEK. PROTESTS FROM FAMILIES WHO THINK THAT THE OFFENSIVE SHOULD BE SCALED BACK, THAT THEY ARE ENDANGERING THE HOSTAGES. TRAGICALLY THERE WERE ALREADY THREE MEN, AS YOU KNOW, WHO WERE KILLED BY FRIENDLY FIRE. >> YEAH, YOU KNOW, WE -- NONE OF US ARE EXPERTS IN THIS FIELD. ALL WE KNOW IS THAT WE HAVE TO GET THEM OUT OF THERE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, AND WHATEVER DEAL IS ON THE TABLE, WE EXPECT AND ARE HOPEFUL THAT OUR GOVERNMENT WILL BE WILLING TO ACCEPT IT AND BE WILLING TO MAKE HARD CHOICES AND BRAVE DECISIONS IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR LOVED ONES ARE BACK ALIVE. >> ARE YOU ENCOURAGED BY THE DELIVERY OF MEDICINES THAT AT LEAST ISRAEL AND HAMAS THROUGH QATAR NEGOTIATING AGREED SOMEHOW TO GET MEDICINE IN, AND WE DON'T KNOW HOW THAT HAPPENED, BUT HAMAS WAS, OF COURSE, EAGER TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WERE NO TRACKING DEVICES SO THERE WAS A LOT OF DISAGREEMENT OVER THAT. WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU? >> WE ARE SLIGHTLY ENCOURAGED BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THAT MEANS THE CHANNEL OF NEGOTIATIONS FOR QATAR IS BACK ON. WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WHETHER THE MEDICINE IS GOING TO MAKE IT TO OUR LOVED ONES. WE ASKED THAT THE RED CROSS BE ALLOWED TO DELIVER THEM TO THE HOSTAGES THEMSELVES, AND THIS WAS NOT ALLOWED AND WE ARE HOPING THAT HAMAS WILL AT LEAST RELEASE IMAGES OF THE HOSTAGES RECEIVING THE MEDICINE. WE HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING THE MEDICINE ACTUALLY REACHES THE HOSTAGES. BUT WE ARE -- ANYTHING THAT SUGGESTS THAT SOME NEGOTIATION OR SOME DEAL MIGHT BE ON THE WAY IS OPTIMISTIC FOR US, BUT YEAH. >> AND WHAT DO YOU WANT THE U.S. TO DO? BECAUSE THE FAMILIES I SPOKE TO THERE, AMERICAN FAMILIES VERY FRUSTRATED AND, FRANKLY, ANGRY AT THE U.S. FOR NOT DOING MORE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY COULD DO, BUT WHAT DO YOU WANT? >> I MEAN, WE THINK THE U.S. HAS BEEN DOING QUITE A LOT, AND WE WANT THEM TO CONTINUE. WE THINK THAT THE U.S. HAS BEEN INVALUABLE IN THIS SITUATION PROMOTING ANY KIND OF DEAL WHETHER IT'S FOR QATAR AND WHETHER IT'S FOR EGYPT, BOTH OF THESE SUGGESTIONS HAVE BEEN BROUGHT ABOUT THANKS TO AMERICAN INVOLVEMENT, WHETHER IT'S THE WHITE HOUSE OR CONGRESS, AND WE EXPECT THEM TO CONTINUE AND DO MORE. I KNOW SOME OF THE FAMILIES WANT THEM TO TRY AND BE EVEN MORE PROACTIVE, WHICH I UNDERSTAND AND SUPPORT. WE CANNOT ACCEPT THE SITUATION WHERE THE CURRENT DEAL IS WASTED AWAY, AND WE WILL FIND OURSELVES 50 DAYS FROM HERE STILL WAITING FOR EVERYONE. >> AND YOU'RE WEARING, OF COURSE, THE -- >> THE DOG TAG, YEAH. >> THE DOG TAG, WHICH IS TO BRING THEM BACK. >> YEAH, ALL OF US ARE WEARING IT. WE'RE GIVING IT TO THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND SENATE THAT WE'RE MEETING. YOU KNOW, IT'S A WEIRD RITUAL THAT YOU HAVE, YOU GET UP IN THE MORNING AND YOU PUT IT BACK ON. YOU PUT WEIGHT BACK ON. MY COUSIN IS BACK SO IN A WAY I AM NOT AS HEAVY HEARTED AS I USED TO BE, BUT I AM HERE WITH FAMILIES, WITH MOTHERS WHO ARE WAITING FOR THEIR DAUGHTER AND SISTERS WHO ARE WAITING FOR THEIR SIBLINGS, AND IT'S JUST NOT HUMANE. THEY'VE BEEN AT THIS FOR 103 DAYS. THERE ARE PEOPLE OVER THERE FOR 103 DAYS. THIS DELEGATION, PART OF IT IS TO FOCUS ON THE WOMEN AND OUR CONCERN FOR THEIR