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One day after U.S. President Donald Trump hosted released hostages and their relatives at a Republican National Committee gala in Washington, Vice President JD Vance, held his first official meeting with survivors of Hamas captivity and families of those still being held in Gaza.
Participants in the meeting included Iair Horn, Keith and Aviva Siegel, Ilai David—the brother of hostage Evyatar David, Liran Berman—the brother of twins Gali and Ziv Berman, and relatives of Israeli American hostages Edan Alexander, Omer Neutra and Itay Chen.
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Iair Horn speaks at Republican Party gala with President Donald Trump at his side
Their visit to Washington followed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent trip to the United States, which largely focused on other issues. Families of hostages expressed frustration that their cause was once again pushed aside.
Hostages and Missing Families Forum reported that, during the meeting, the vice president reiterated the Trump administration's commitment to securing the release of all 59 hostages still being held captive in Gaza. Vance told them that they "remain hopeful" and stressed the urgency of returning the hostages as soon as possible.
"The delegation participants thanked the vice president and expressed their gratitude to President Trump and the administration for the efforts to free the hostages, and asked him to continue to act by all means to bring about the release of all remaining hostages - the living for rehabilitation and the dead for burial," it was reported.
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Delegation of families of hostages and survivors of captivity met with the Vice President of the United States
(Photo: The White House)
At Tuesday night’s RNC gala, Trump invited released hostages Iair Horn and Keith and Aviva Siegel onstage. Horn, whose brother Eitan remains in Hamas captivity, pleaded: “We humbly ask for that final push to bring back the 59 hostages—my brother Eitan, Ziv and Gali, Evyatar—all our brothers and sisters.”
Horn, who was released in the last hostage deal after being separated from his brother, addressed the crowd in English. “I've been in hell for 498 days. In hell with Hamas terrorists. When we didn't see the light, but we feel. When we heard President Trump get elected, we knew. There is now someone who makes the things happen. I'm sorry about my English. I am half Argentinian, half Israeli. We knew we need someone who do the things. That's President Trump. We are here because of President Trump. Thank you.”
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The returned hostages and families of hostages met with Vide President JD Vance at the White House
(Photo: The White House)
Overwhelmed with emotion, Horn broke down mid-speech, continuing in a trembling voice: "It's really surreal to be here, you know. I'm a simple man. I'm running the bar in the kibbutz and now I'm here with President Trump who's running the world. We, we are thankful. We are really thankful."
Looking ahead to Passover, Horn added: "In a few days we mark the Passover, right? Pesach. It's family time. When my mother makes the matzah balls. I want my mother to make kneidlach for my little brother, for Eitan. I call him ‘little’—he’s 38, but he’s still my kid brother. I hope he can sit with us at the Seder.”
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Keith Siegel, an American citizen and former hostage, also thanked Trump. "I am here, and I am alive. President Trump, you saved my life. You saved the lives of 33 hostages. Because of your efforts, and because you made the hostage crisis a top priority among everything you’ve faced since becoming president, you brought 33 of us home alive. We all owe you our lives. Please, keep up the efforts. With your help, we can bring the remaining 59 hostages in Gaza back home."
Speaking at the gala, Trump praised the former hostages as “brave people” and vowed, “We won’t rest until their loved ones are back home. We’re working very hard on this. Before, there was no chance – this should have been dealt with right at the start of the previous administration. They should have already brought them back," he said.”
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President Donald Trump with returned hostages on stage at the Republican Party gala in Washington
He continued: “I had Israeli parents come to me and say, ‘My son is dead, but please bring him home.’ The mother just wanted his body returned. It’s incredible. Other parents too—I asked, ‘How is he?’ and they said, ‘He’s dead. Only his body is still there. We want him back.’ It’s horrible. Just horrible. The level of hatred from Hamas is unbelievable. The way they forced people to live—it’s beyond comprehension.”
Turning to Horn and the Siegels, Trump concluded: “There are great people in this room who love you. They will fight for you. We just want to thank you so very much.”