Hostage families participating in a Wednesday morning roundtable with members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee underscored their appreciation for President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure the ceasefire and hostage release deal. They also stressed that the focus needs to remain on returning the remaining hostages.
The roundtable came after a series of threats from both Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that fighting in Gaza would resume if all remaining hostages were not returned by noon on Saturday.
Ronen Neutra, the father of deceased American hostage Omer Neutra, credited Trump’s election with the release of the hostages and said he trusts that Trump and his team will make sure the release continues.
“Among them, six Americans,” he said. “Six Americans that need to come home. All the hostages need to come home.”
The deceased hostages should be returned respectfully to their families to have an honorable final resting place, Neutra said.
“Our son Omer chose to put his life at risk to save thousands of others,” he said. “We owe it to him to rescue the people he gave his life to and bring him home, so we can get our own closure.”
Under the terms of the deal, bodies of deceased hostages are to be returned during the third phase.
There are multiple areas in which Congress can help support the Trump administration’s efforts to bring the hostages home, including economic sanctions on Hamas, Neutra said.
Arab countries should take action against Hamas and condemn the holding of deceased hostages against Islamic values, he said.
Trump's commitment
Ilay David told the committee about his 23-year-old brother, Evyatar, who was abducted from the Supernova music festival. He expressed “deep gratitude” for Trump’s commitment to bringing their loved ones home.
Trump’s efforts are proof that determined action makes a difference, and lives can be saved when leaders stand firm and prioritize humanitarian crises, David said.
“We’ve seen progress, and for that we are thankful, but we are not there yet,” he said, adding that while the first stage is a crucial step forward, the world cannot lose sight of those who remain in captivity.
The mission cannot be over until every hostage is home, and the second stage of the deal cannot wait, David said.
“I trust Trump can get us there,” he said. “His leadership already brought hostages back. With his continued efforts, we can reach this stage of the agreement.”
Moshe Lavi, speaking on behalf of his brother-in-law Omri Miran, said he was grateful for the work done by the US and its elected officials over the past 16 months, including the Biden administration.
But “our mission is not done,” he said.
Miran’s family received a sign of life from him through an Israeli who recently returned from captivity, Miran’s brother, Nadav, told Walla on Tuesday.
Lavi recounted how on Tuesday, prior to Trump’s meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah, he was asked by an elected official what he wanted to ask the king.
“What we ask the international community is not to just say no to proposals, but say what they can do, what is their proposal on the table,” Lavi said.
It seems as if Abdullah had heard Trump’s message that he needs to come forth with a plan if he is not going to be onboard with the US’s plans, he said.
Lavi said he felt previous administrations had not held Arab regimes accountable or pushed in a corner to provide both Israeli and Palestinian victims of Hamas answers.
He urged the committee to make sure the hostages remain top of mind.
Daniel Lifshitz, whose grandfather, Oded, is the oldest remaining hostage and is slated to be released in the first phase, also thanked Trump and committee chairman Rep. Brian Mast for making the hostage crisis a humanitarian issue and not a political one.
The way to bring the remaining hostages home is through a deal, with either all hostages coming home at once or one hostage being released every day, he said.
“We know pain, we want the revenge, we want Hamas to be eradicated,” Lifshitz said. The first thing is ensuring phase one continues and will continue to phase two, he said.
“If we can squeeze everything together to one day, let’s do all the pressure we need to do to bring everyone home,” Lifshitz said. “After that, we eradicate terror. Bring the hostages home, then fight.”