Several former hostages and members of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum called on U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday to help secure the release of 50 hostages in Gaza, warning that expanding Israel’s military operations could put them in grave danger.
In a video address in English, former hostages Naama Levy, Ohad Ben Ami, Doron Steinbrecher, Sasha Troufanov, Arbel Yehoud and Iair Horn along with Michal Lobanov, widow of Alex Lobanov who was killed in captivity, thanked Trump for helping secure the release of 39 hostages so far.
(Video: Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
"President Trump, we want to thank you for bringing us home. We know it wasn't easy. Your leadership and your courage gave us back our lives and our families. We are here today because you chose to act," Levy, freed after 477 days, said.
Ben Ami, who spent 491 days in captivity, described the conditions hostages still face: "Fifty hostages are still there—I was one of them—and I know what life underground means. Endless hunger, constant fear, darkness. Every day there is a fight to stay alive."
Steinbrecher, released after 471 days, said: "I remember being there, hearing the explosions above my head, praying they won't get too close. Every sound made my heart stop. This is what they live through right now, every moment of every day."
Troufanov, freed after 498 days, warned: "The decision to expand the military operation puts each and every one of them in very great danger. Every bullet, every strike could be the one that ends their life."
Yehoud, who survived 482 days in captivity, spoke of her partner Ariel Cunio, still held in Gaza. "My partner is still in captivity. I dream of the day I can hug him again. I dream of the day we can all be here together. They all need to come back home," she said. Ariel's brother David, is also still held in Hamas captivity.
Lobanov, whose husband Alex Lobanov was executed by Hamas last August, urged immediate action. "For my family, it was already too late. When the military pressure closed in, Hamas executed my husband. He came back to me in a coffin. President Trump, please act now before it's too late for them too," she appealed.
Horn, released after 498 days, appealed for his brother Eitan Horn, still in captivity. "You have the power to make history, to be the president of peace who ends the war, ends the suffering and brings every hostage home, including my little brother," he said.
The group concluded their plea with a repeated call: "Bring them home. Bring them home. Bring them home. Seal the deal."