Author: Aaron Parseghian

Published: 5:21 PM EST December 7, 2023

Updated: 5:56 PM EST December 7, 2023

TAMPA, Florida — The U.S. is facing an unprecedented level of terror threats because of the war between Israel and Hamas, the departments of Justice and Homeland Security say groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS will likely use the war to increase calls for violence during the holiday season.

As negotiations over the release of more hostages break down, a retired Navy Seal commander and hostage negotiator who calls Tampa home is on a new mission to help people understand the greater impacts of “hostage terrorism.”

“This scourge of hostage terrorism is affecting everyone on the planet,” CMDR. Dan O’Shea (Ret.) said. During the height of the Iraq war, the former negotiator was on the ground on behalf of CENTCOM, working more than 400 kidnapping cases.

“Kidnapping destabilized everything we were trying to do in Iraq, it was used as a propaganda tool. It was used to destabilize our partners,” O’Shea explained, noticing similarities in what’s happening in Gaza right now.

“Hamas is still holding on to over 130 hostages. It was done intentionally because they knew that was going to be their only leveraging chip,” O’Shea added.

For some, it especially hits close to him, like Gillian Kay and Jonathan Dekel-Chen in Sarasota, whose 35-year-old son Sagui is presumably one of those in captivity.

Even if you don’t have a direct connection, O’Shea says “people should pay attention and get educated on the topic because the threat of hostage terrorism is not immune to anyone.”

He’s been giving lectures across the Tampa Bay area about hostage terrorism and concerns with the rise in it stemming from the latest conflict in Israel and Palestine.

“There's a lot to be concerned that this could escalate because that region is a cauldron of violence and hatred,” O’Shea said. “You need to be cognizant when you're traveling overseas that, yes, that blue passport can mean so many things, but can also put a target on your back.”

For his neighbors in the city he now calls home, O’Shea suggests talking with the vibrant veteran community to continue learning about the instability in the Middle East and its impacts throughout the world.

“There are hundreds and thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, men and women that can share their experience about what we're dealing with. And I think it's important for people to be aware of what's going on in their surroundings and be fortunate that we live in Tampa Bay,” he said.