Hostage survivors Iair Horn, Yarden Bibas, and Sharon Aloni-Cunio appeared before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday, urging lawmakers to advance a deal to bring home the 48 hostages still held in Gaza amid reports of a new U.S.-backed proposal under consideration by Hamas and Israel.
Horn broke down in tears as he recounted running alongside his brother Eitan after an Israeli missile struck near them while they were in captivity. “He’s not small or weak, and after the blast, you have to run because of the missile and toxic gases. While running, he sits down and tells me, ‘Leave me here.’ He’s my little brother, I won’t give up on him,” Horn said.
He concluded his testimony: “I think the country is in distress, the people of Israel are in distress. Help us begin to recover, end the war, bring back the hostages, and return to something closer to a functioning society.”
Aloni-Cunio directly addressed lawmakers: “You’re not even ashamed to say that the hostages have a price. Who are you to decide the price for David? I’m at home with two five-year-old daughters, broken, and every day I break anew. Every day you kill us again. Us and them.”
She added: “There are things I experienced in captivity that I cannot speak about out of shame. Why don’t we hear from you? Why aren’t you on our side? How long must I keep lying to my daughters about what will happen, when I don’t even know if David will return alive or in a coffin? How much more can I endure? This is daily abuse, and it doesn’t bother you.”
Gil Dickmann, cousin of hostage Carmel Gat, who was killed in Hamas captivity, said: “Carmel was supposed to be here. Instead, we were at her memorial last week.” Addressing the committee chairman, Dickmann said: “You, Boaz Bismuth, and the entire political leadership send soldiers on these missions, knowing they won’t rescue hostages but will endanger them. When I asked Government Secretary Yossi Fox if the operation in which six hostages were killed was intended to target Sinwar, he didn’t answer—but his silence confirmed it. You care more about killing terrorists than returning hostages. That’s how 42 hostages were killed.”
The hearing comes as U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a new proposal aimed at resolving the hostage crisis. Hamas did not explicitly reject the plan, which calls for the immediate release of all 48 hostages on the first day of a ceasefire. Sources familiar with the negotiations said the proposal offers guarantees that Israel would not resume military operations while talks continue. Analysts expect Hamas to demand conditions Israel has opposed, including a full withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza. The group, however, expressed willingness to enter negotiations immediately on the release of hostages in exchange for a clear declaration ending the war, a full withdrawal from Gaza, and the establishment of a committee to manage the Strip by independent Palestinian authorities.