A bipartisan group of 50 House members wrote to President Donald Trump on Friday urging him to “prioritize the release of the five Americans” who remain hostage in Gaza. One of those hostages, Edan Alexander, is believed to be alive.

“Securing the release of all five American hostages is critical as every additional moment in captivity is a matter of life or death,” the letter reads. “We urge you to avail yourself of all available options and diplomatic channels to achieve a deal for their release.”

The lawmakers highlighted that it has been months since any hostages have been released and said “we must keep the five remaining Americans and additional 54 hostages top of mind.” It is believed that of those 52, 21 hostages are still living with the status of an additional three unknown.

“Our government’s most solemn responsibility is to keep Americans safe. With that responsibility in mind, we urge you to use all diplomatic tools at your disposal, in concert with our regional allies and partners, to ensure Edan’s release and the release of the remains of the deceased American hostages as soon as possible,” the letter continues. “Every day in captivity adds to the nightmare for the hostages and their families. We must bring them home now.”

The letter was led by Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), French Hill (R-AR), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Tom Suozzi (D-NY)  and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL). 

“For 580 days, five Americans have been held hostage in Gaza by evil terrorists like Hamas and PIJ,” Lawler said in a statement to Jewish Insider. “President Trump has made extraordinary progress in securing the release of hostages, but the fight is not over — I am urging him to continue using every diplomatic tool we have to bring them all home.”

Wasserman Schultz told JI, “The American people must not forget that 5 Americans remain held hostage by Hamas. I am proud to have led this bipartisan initiative to underpin to the White House the necessity to use every diplomatic tool at its disposal to secure the speedy release of the American hostages. We must end this nightmare and bring them home now.”