A delegation of Hamas captivity survivors met with President Donald Trump at the White House for a meeting that lasted more than half an hour. The delegation Doron Steinbrecher, Eli Sharabi, Naama Levi, Yair Horn, Omer Shem Tov, and Keith and Aviva Siegel. Shem Tov told the President: "My family and I believe you've been sent by God to release us".
A delegation of captivity survivors, including Doron Steinbrecher, Eli Sharabi, Naama Levi, Yair Horn, Omer Shem Tov, and Keith and Aviva Siegel, met on Wednesday (Israel time) with President Donald Trump at the White House. The delegation, currently visiting Washington, is expected to hold additional meetings with members of Trump's administration.
During the meeting, Omer Shem Tov told Trump: "My family and I, myself, we believe you've been sent by God to release us. You can really help. You have the power to do this. We heard you want to do everything possible to secure a deal as quickly as possible. You've given us hope." Trump responded: "Well, we said 'you better let us have those people back. You better let them out.' We did say that, and something happened. Now we've got to get the rest out."
The delegation arrived in Washington as negotiations for a new hostage release deal remain at a standstill. They are emphasizing to senior officials the urgent need to secure the immediate release of all remaining hostages in one coordinated effort.
Earlier in the day, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum stated that the delegation "is coming to thank the Trump administration for its commitment to securing the release of all the hostages and to share firsthand accounts of the horrors of Hamas' tunnels." During their meetings, the forum added, "they will stress the necessity of bringing all the hostages home immediately and at once."
Among those present during Trump's address to both chambers of Congress earlier that night were captivity survivors Noa Argamani, Yair Horn, and Aviva and Keith Siegel, as well as relatives of American hostages - Naotrah, Alexander, Chen, and Hagai - who attended as guests of members of Congress. Despite their presence in the chamber, Trump did not mention them by name, referring to the hostages only briefly and in general terms.
