Freed captive Iair Horn thanked US President Donald Trump for helping to secure his freedom and asked him to use his influence to help those who remain in captivity, in an opinion piece published by Fox News on Thursday.
Horn's brother Eitan remains a captive of Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Horn wrote to his brother in the article telling him to "hold on" and that "Just as you gave me strength during our darkest days together, I will not rest until you and every other hostage return home."
Horn added, "As long as hostages remain in Gaza, none of us is truly free."
"The world must understand – people are dying in those tunnels right now. My brother is dying in those tunnels right now. We need action today, not tomorrow. Bring back those who are still alive before it's too late. Bring back those who have died, so their families can have closure and mourn properly." Horn wrote in Fox News, adding "I promised those I left behind that I would do everything in my power to secure their release."
Horn shared his belief that many of those left in captivity will not survive much longer, and are suffering from declining health.
"I saw with my own eyes how sick some of them are – they won't survive many more days without medical care," he wrote. "My brother Eitan is seriously ill with a condition requiring medication he isn't receiving. He has severe infections and dangerous fevers. Every hour that passes puts their lives at greater risk."
"Tragically, Eitan and dozens of others are not included in the current phase of releases that brought me home," he commented, adding "I know with certainty that those still held captive don't have much time left."
Horn added, "While my body lies in Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, my heart and soul remain trapped in Gaza. As long as my brother Eitan and the other hostages are held captive there, I too remain a hostage. The little strength I have left, I dedicate entirely to fighting for their return before it's too late."
Personal memories of October 7
Horn went on to describe his experiences of the October 7 massacre.
"October 7, 2023, began like any other peaceful Shabbat in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Like many other Argentinian immigrants who found a new life in Israel, I had built my world in this small, tight-knit community. My younger brother Eitan had come to spend the weekend with me in the kibbutz. None of us could have imagined the horror that would unfold – a day when our small community would be devastated, with a quarter of our people either murdered or kidnapped by Hamas terrorists," he began.
"They took me away on a motorcycle, subjecting me to such severe physical violence that I was left bleeding and wounded. For a month, I didn't know if Eitan was alive or dead. When they finally brought us together, we stayed side by side until the day of my release – a moment that tears at my heart every second of every day," Horn's statement continued.
"The conditions of our captivity were beyond anything humans should endure. The physical torture was unbearable, especially in those first months. But it was the psychological torture that almost broke us – the constant fear that each breath could be our last, that any word or movement could trigger our captors' violence. We were starved, interrogated, abused. I survived by focusing only on making it through one more day, then another," Horn's summary of his experience concluded.
Horn also commented on Thursday's return of three fallen hostage bodies from Gaza by asking "As these families lay their loved ones to rest, I am tormented by a single thought: will my brother Eitan be next? Will more families receive their loved ones in coffins? We cannot let this happen. Not one more hostage should return this way."