(NewsNation) – For the relatives of the Americans who have remained missing since then Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th. The agonizing wait continues. While it has been Some hostages were released as part of a temporary ceasefire agreementFamilies of the abductees want more action from the US government.

Eight Americans – most if not all of them U.S. and Israeli citizens – are believed to be being held hostage by Hamas. Many of their families came to Washington, DC this week to demand their release.

Some of the Americans are also soldiers in the Israeli military, like 19-year-old Edan Alexander. Alexander graduated from high school in New Jersey in 2022 before entering service in the Israel Defense Forces.

The others include Itay Chen, also 19 and in the IDF, and Omer Neutra, 22, who served as a tank commander and officer near Gaza during the Hamas incursion that killed 1,200 people in Israel. Neutra’s grandparents were Holocaust survivors.

Biden administration officials say they are working day and night to bring these hostages home. Hostage families in D.C. are meeting with these officials, including National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, as well as members of Congress to ask why more Americans haven’t been released.

Of the fewer than 10 Americans who White House officials say are still missing, most are adult men and therefore ineligible for release under the latest rules negotiations for the release of hostages, that put women and children first.

The White House said there was no sign that Hamas was trying to keep American hostages as leverage.

A total of four U.S. citizens have been released since October 7th. Two of you, Judith Raanan, 59, and her daughter Natalie, 17, were released on October 20 for “humanitarian” reasons, Hamas said.

Israeli-American Liat Beinin, 49, and Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old, are the only two Americans released during the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

The families of these hostages say the number of releases should be much higher.

“We need more and we need them to come out really soon because when I see these faces, and you all see these faces after 52, 53 days, they can’t stay there much longer,” said Liz Hirsh Naftali of Edan Great aunt said.

Orna Nuetra, Omer Nuetra’s mother, acknowledged that there had been “some progress” in getting the hostages home this week, but pointed out that her son was still not with her.

“The clock keeps ticking and not in our favor,” said Orna Nuetra.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said was in Israel as part of efforts to extend the brief ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and allow more aid to reach Gazawhere more than 13,300 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and more than three-quarters of its 2.3 million residents were displaced.

Blinken said he wanted to ensure the safety of the people of Gaza before Israel resumes military operations.

This is Blinken’s third visit to Israel since October 7th. After a visit to the country and the West Bank, he travels to Dubai for a climate conference.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.