The State Department is renewing its emphasis on Americans who are wrongfully detained and held hostage overseas. This initiative coincides with a day of commemoration for those who have never returned home and for those still being held abroad.

According to the Foley Foundation, there are currently 34 Americans being held hostage or wrongfully detained in several countries, including Russia, Venezuela, and Cuba. However, these cases are just the ones publicly acknowledged, and the actual number is likely higher due to the fluidity of the situation and families' decisions to withhold details about their loved ones.

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Thursday's events at the State Department recognize the annual Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, during which hosts raised a hostage flag alongside the American flag.

Notably, the parents of Edan Alexander, believed to be the last living American hostage held in Gaza, spoke at the event. Diane Foley, mother of journalist Jim Foley who was killed in Syria in 2012, also addressed the crowd. Since her son's death, she has become a strong advocate for those wrongfully detained overseas.

Foley shared her thoughts on the transition between the Biden and Trump administrations regarding hostage affairs, specifically referencing the change from Roger Carstens, the former special envoy under Biden, to Adam Boehler, the new envoy appointed by Trump.

"It has been extraordinarily seamless and I have to credit all those who were in the Biden to the incoming Trump administration," she said. "It just leaves me so hopeful."

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The gathering also celebrated the recent return of several Americans, including Pennsylvania teacher Marc Fogel from Russia, two Americans from Gaza, and approximately half a dozen individuals who had been held in Venezuela.

FBI Director Kash Patel, who attended the event, affirmed the agency's commitment to bringing Americans held overseas back home, calling it "an apolitical mission."

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