17 Hostage Survivors to Meet Trump
White House Meeting: What the Hostage Twins Wrote to Trump When Giving Him a 'Sacred Item' from the Ashes
Seventeen former hostages and their families are meeting with President Trump today, where they will present him with a Mezuzah retrieved from their destroyed home in Kfar Aza as a gesture of profound gratitude for his role in their freedom.
Seventeen Israeli individuals who survived captivity in Gaza, accompanied by their families, are scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington tonight (Thursday) at 2:00 PM Eastern Time (9:00 PM Israel time).
The delegation's visit to Washington, which began with meetings on Capitol Hill last night, is primarily intended for the survivors to express their personal gratitude to President Trump for the actions they believe were instrumental in securing their release.
A Gift of Faith from the Ashes
Central to the meeting is a highly symbolic gift from twin siblings Gali and Ziv Berman, who were abducted from their home in Kfar Aza. The twins will present President Trump with a Mezuzah recovered from their burned-down home in the Kibbutz.
The twins and their family included a personal letter with the gift, which reads:
"A Gift from Kfar Aza, In honor of the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. This Mezuzah was lovingly removed from the door of Gali’s room, in our home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, a community that suffered unthinkable horrors on October 7, 2023. The Mezuzah survived. Gali survived. And now, this sacred item is presented to you for helping to save his life."
The letter continues, expressing profound respect:
"With profound respect and heartfelt thanks, we present you with a small yet powerful symbol of protection and faith, retrieved from the wreckage of tragedy, as a tribute to your work in bringing the hostages home. May it stand as an enduring testimony to courage, to faith, and to the everlasting friendship between our peoples. – The Berman Family."
Message of Thanks and Continued Pressure
The meeting is scheduled to last approximately half an hour, according to the President’s itinerary. President Trump is expected to open the meeting with remarks, followed by comments from the survivors themselves.
A key objective for the delegation, which views President Trump as being central to their freedom, is to deliver their thanks directly. Crucially, the survivors and their families also arrived in Washington to press the President to continue applying pressure until the three remaining deceased captives are returned from Gaza.
Meetings on Capitol Hill
Last night, the delegation, escorted by the head of the Prime Minister's Office’s Prisoners and Missing Persons Division and representatives from the Israeli Embassy, met with senior lawmakers in the U.S. Congress.
The group was welcomed by the leadership of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for the Return of Hostages and Captives, including Representatives Craig Goldman and Haley Stevens.
During the meeting, members of Congress reaffirmed their unwavering support for the survivors and their commitment to continue working toward the return of the three deceased captives held by Hamas.
Representative Stevens told the group: "You carry a weight, a story, an experience that you did not ask for. We will continue to be your allies and your friends forever, we will continue to wear the pin and tell your story."
Hostage survivor Omri Miran shared an emotional moment of his ordeal: "When I was abducted from Nir Oz, and separated from my family, my eldest daughter ran after me screaming 'Dad!' For six months, I did not know what happened to them until I saw Lishi on television. I knew I had something to live for when I saw her. Today my daughter says 'Dad' and I am here, answering her. This is thanks to you."
The delegation thanked the lawmakers for their involvement in the efforts to secure their release and emphasized the significance of the relationship between Israel and the U.S. in stabilizing the current security reality.