By: Fern Sidman

A group of Israeli hostages recently freed after more than two years in Hamas captivity met in Tel Aviv on Tuesday with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and former White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, expressing deep gratitude for what they called “extraordinary American leadership” in securing their release. The meeting, which was covered by The Jerusalem Post, underscored both the personal and diplomatic weight of the agreement that ended their long ordeal — and renewed calls to ensure that the remaining hostages still held in Gaza are brought home.

According to The Jerusalem Post report on Tuesday, the meeting at a Tel Aviv hotel included nine recently released hostages: Omri Miran, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Yosef-Chaim Ohana, Matan Angrest, Bar Kupershtein, Segev Kalfon, Nimrod Cohen, and Eitan Horn. All were freed last week as part of a U.S.-brokered deal hailed by both Washington and Jerusalem as a “historic achievement.”

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters said in a statement quoted in The Jerusalem Post report that the group expressed “profound gratitude” to President Donald Trump for his “unwavering focus on their plight” and his “relentless pursuit of justice” that ultimately led to their return.

“President Trump made our freedom a top priority,” the statement read. “We know how much effort, diplomacy, and courage it took. For us, this meeting is a chance to say thank you — not just to the United States, but to everyone who refused to give up.”

The freed hostages urged Witkoff and Kushner to keep the issue of the remaining captives at the forefront of international diplomacy. “Leave no stone unturned,” one of them implored, according to the report in The Jerusalem Post, adding that families of the 15 hostages still in Hamas custody “wake up every morning in fear and go to sleep in uncertainty.”

During the meeting, Steve Witkoff, the American real estate executive turned special envoy, reaffirmed the United States’ “steadfast dedication to the mission.”

“The work does not end with this success,” Witkoff said, according to the report in The Jerusalem Post. “We are fully committed to bringing every last hostage home. The president’s vision for a safer, freer Middle East is rooted in humanity — and that means no one is left behind.”

Jared Kushner, who has remained involved in Middle East affairs through informal diplomatic channels, echoed those sentiments. As The Jerusalem Post reported, Kushner praised the courage of the freed captives and called their survival “a testament to the strength of the Israeli spirit and the enduring bond between the United States and Israel.”

Kushner and Witkoff have spent the past several months leading what the U.S. administration has described as “peace missions” throughout the region — focusing on humanitarian recovery, post-war reconstruction, and the complex negotiations that facilitated the hostages’ release.

“We’ve seen firsthand the resilience of the Israeli people,” Kushner said. “The world has witnessed tragedy in Gaza, but also unity, compassion, and courage. Our job now is to ensure that the light of hope burns even brighter for those still waiting to come home.”

The meeting took on an especially emotional tone when Matan Angrest, one of the freed hostages and a resident of Kiryat Bialik, presented Witkoff and Kushner with a letter and commemorative gift from his city’s mayor, Eli Dukorsky, as reported by The Jerusalem Post. The letter, addressed to President Donald J. Trump, expressed the gratitude of an entire community that had waited anxiously for Angrest’s return.

“Mr. President,” Dukorsky wrote, “your leadership, your commitment to justice, and your unwavering support for the State of Israel have saved lives. You have written a new chapter in the history of friendship between our nations.”

The mayor went further, announcing that the new municipal stadium currently under construction in Kiryat Bialik will bear the name “Donald J. Trump Stadium” in recognition of the president’s “historic contribution” to saving the lives of Israeli citizens.

“President Trump’s efforts on behalf of the hostages will be remembered for generations,” Dukorsky said in remarks published in The Jerusalem Post report. “He demonstrated courage, compassion, and a true love for the people of Israel. The residents of Kiryat Bialik owe him a deep debt of gratitude.”

According to the report, Kushner and Witkoff accepted the letter and the symbolic gift on Trump’s behalf, promising to deliver it personally to the former president.

The recent hostage release — the most significant since the October 2023 Hamas attacks — was the culmination of intense diplomatic maneuvering spanning several months. The Jerusalem Post noted that Trump’s negotiating team, led by Witkoff, coordinated closely with Israeli intelligence and regional mediators to secure the captives’ freedom. The agreement reportedly involved a limited ceasefire window, humanitarian concessions, and the participation of Egyptian and Qatari intermediaries, all under American oversight.

Analysts cited in The Jerusalem Post report said the deal not only rescued the hostages but also “revitalized strategic cooperation” between Jerusalem and Washington after a turbulent period marked by disagreements over military operations in Gaza.

“President Trump’s direct involvement brought momentum and moral clarity,” one Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post. “He made it clear to every player in the region that the lives of Israeli hostages were non-negotiable — that their release was not just an Israeli concern, but a humanitarian imperative.”

For the freed hostages, Tuesday’s meeting was both a celebration and a moment of solemn remembrance. Many of them spoke about their harrowing experiences in captivity, the physical and psychological toll, and their deep gratitude to those who worked for their freedom.

According to the information provided in The Jerusalem Post report, Omri Miran described his first moments back in Israel as “a blur of tears and disbelief.” Ziv and Gali Berman, a married couple held for nearly 800 days, told Witkoff and Kushner that they had clung to each other’s faith as a lifeline.

“In the darkness, hope was our only light,” Ziv said, as quoted in The Jerusalem Post report. “To stand here today, surrounded by those who fought for us, is overwhelming.”

Families of the remaining hostages also attended the gathering, emphasizing that their joy was tempered by the knowledge that others were still in peril. “We will not rest until all our brothers and sisters are home,” said Nimrod Cohen, one of the released captives.

The Jerusalem Post report described the meeting as “a rare moment of unity in a time of deep division.” While the broader conflict in Gaza continues to exact a heavy toll, the event symbolized the power of diplomacy and persistence in achieving tangible humanitarian results.

Witkoff and Kushner emphasized that continued cooperation between the United States and Israel would remain essential, not only for the remaining hostages but for post-conflict stabilization in the region. Both officials reiterated President Trump’s vision of “a durable peace grounded in strength, justice, and moral clarity.”

“This is not just about Israel,” Witkoff told The Jerusalem Post. “It’s about reaffirming a principle: that terror will not win, that life will be defended, and that our shared humanity must guide our actions.”

The decision to name a stadium after Trump, The Jerusalem Post report noted, carries symbolic weight in Israel’s current political and emotional landscape. It not only honors the former president’s role in the hostage negotiations but also reflects his longstanding popularity among many Israelis, who recall his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and his administration’s role in brokering the Abraham Accords.

Mayor Dukorsky said the gesture was meant to “enshrine gratitude in something tangible,” ensuring that future generations would remember the moment when “American resolve and Israeli perseverance intersected to save lives.”

“The stadium will stand as a living tribute to what can be achieved when nations act with courage and compassion,” he said.

As the meeting concluded, the freed hostages and their families embraced Witkoff and Kushner, thanking them once again for their efforts. A candlelight vigil was later held in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, attended by hundreds of supporters carrying Israeli and American flags.

The Jerusalem Post report described the atmosphere as “emotional but hopeful.” There were tears for those still missing, but also pride in a victory hard-won through diplomacy and persistence.

In a final message shared with reporters, Witkoff reaffirmed that the mission was not yet complete.

“The United States will not stop until every hostage is home,” he said. “That is our promise to the people of Israel — and to humanity.”

For the freed captives, the message resonated deeply. As one of them told The Jerusalem Post, “We owe our freedom to people who refused to look away. Their determination brought us home. Now, we must keep the same faith for those still waiting.”