After over two years, 20 liberated Israeli hostages were joyfully reunited with their families on Monday. Many expressed gratitude towards President Donald Trump and his administration for facilitating these much-anticipated reunions.
Noa Argamani, who was abducted by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, along with her partner, Avinatan Or, was overjoyed to be reunited with him, whom she described as “the love of my life.”
“Two years have passed since I last saw Avinatan, the love of my life. Two years since terrorists abducted us, took me away on a motorcycle, and separated me from Avinatan for the world to witness,” Argamani recounted. “I was held by Hamas for 246 days, while Avinatan was held for 738 days. I was brought back through a heroic rescue, and Avinatan returned through a deal. Yet, against all odds, we both made it back home and reunited!”
The families of the hostages expressed their appreciation to President Donald Trump and his team for their efforts to bring everyone back home. (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“Words cannot describe the emotions I felt seeing him for the first time in so long. We both faced death numerous times, yet now, after two years apart, we are taking our first steps together again in Israel,” she continued.
In her post on X, Argamani expressed her gratitude to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for their bravery in rescuing the hostages. She also acknowledged the U.S. government for its support and accommodation, along with special thanks to White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Trump, whom she praised as “exceptional.”
Lishay Miran-Lavi also gave Trump and his team credit for reuniting her family. Her husband, Omri Miran, was taken captive on Oct. 7, 2023, from the safe room in their home in front of her and their two daughters, Roni and Alma. At the time of Omri’s kidnapping, his daughter Alma was just six months old and had only known his face from hostage posters.
“Roni and Alma ran into their father’s arms, and he heard them say ‘daddy’ again. That moment fulfilled the promise I made on October 7, and healed something words cannot describe,” Miran-Lavi wrote on X.
People gather in Hostages Square during a rally after Hamas accepted a peace deal to end the two-year war and return the hostages. (Dana Reany/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
“Thank you to President [Donald Trump] and the entire Trump Administration for their relentless efforts to bring Omri and the other hostages home. From the start you made our cause your mission, stood with the families, and never gave up,” Miran-Lavi wrote. “To [Steve Witkoff], the President’s Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, and to [Jared Kushner], thank you for your dedication, compassion, and persistence through every stage of this journey.”
Miran-Lavi also thanked Secretary of State Marco Rubio for his “conviction and diplomacy, for ensuring the hostages and their families never left the agenda and for leading with strength and humanity.”
Additionally, Miran-Lavi recognized the efforts of the senior members of the administration who were “available to us around the clock” and ensured the White House doors were open to the hostages’ families “at all times.”
“Their determination and dedication brought us to this long-awaited moment.”
People wave Israeli and American flags in Hostages Square during a rally supporting hostages and missing families following the Israel-Hamas peace deal. (Dana Reany/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
Several hostages’ loved ones also thanked Trump and his administration during a news conference on Tuesday, including Viki Cohen, mother of Nimrod Cohen; Anat Angrest, mother of Matan Angrest; Iair Horn, a captivity survivor and brother of Eitan Horn; and Dani Miran, father of Omri Miran.
At another news conference at a different medical center in Israel, Macabit Mayer — the aunt of Gali and Ziv Berman — their brother, Liran Berman, and Miri Ben Ami, the mother of Yosef Chaim Ohana, all thanked Trump.
On Monday, hours after the hostages were freed, Trump addressed Israel’s parliament, known as the Knesset.
“This week, against all odds, we have done the impossible and brought our hostages home,” Trump said.
During his presidential campaign last year, Trump promised to bring the hostages home and end the war. Over the first 10 months of his presidency, Israel saw multiple rounds of hostage releases, culminating in Monday’s release of the last 20 living hostages.
