Freed hostage Iair Horn asked Republican Congressmen on Friday to do more to bring about the release of the 59 remaining captives held by Hamas in Gaza. "Humbly, we ask, we ask for more. The last push, the last 59 people, the last 59 hostages," he said.
President Donald Trump invited freed hostages Iair Horn, Aviva Siegel, and Keith Siegel to join him at at a gala organized by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) in Washington. He vowed he would not rest until all of the hostages are returned.
Iair Horn speaks at the gala
Horn, who was released in the last negotiated deal, leaving his brother Eitan behind, shared his experience 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."
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, but. In a few days we mark the Passover, right? Pesach. It's family time. When my mother makes the matzah balls," he said.
Keith Siegel also expressed his gratitude to President Trump, saying: "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."
Aviva Siegel thanked the president as well. "Thank you, President Trump. Thank you for bringing my Keith home. Keith's grandchildren, his children, his family – they’re all overjoyed. But I’m the happiest of them all. Thank you so much. We need you to bring back all the hostages. There are 24 who are alive, and 59 who need to come back to their families, just like I got Keith back. We have Iair standing here with us, while his brother Eitan is trapped underground, pleading to come out. I’m begging you, President Trump, please stay strong for us. Please help us."
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Trump the hostages should have been released at the start of the war. "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.
"When I asked about the 59 hostages, 'How are they? What’s their condition? Do you have any idea?' they (the survivors) told me: 'Well, 24 are alive, the rest are dead.' Someone else had already told me that before – that 24 were alive. But these are young people, most of them young. They’re not just dying – they’re being killed. The conditions were so horrible. Think about it.
"I had Israeli parents come to me and say, 'My son is dead, but please bring him home.’ The mother wanted him back. Incredible. Other parents came to me too. I asked, 'How is he doing?' and they told me, 'He’s dead. His body is still there. We just want him to come home.' It’s horrible. Just horrible. The level of hatred from Hamas is so insane – it’s unbelievable. The way they were forced to live… it’s incomprehensible," he said. Turning again to Iair, Aviva, and Keith, Trump concluded: "There are amazing people in this room who love you. They will fight for you. We just want to thank you so much. Thank you."