After more than two years, 20 freed Israeli hostages were reunited with their loved ones on Monday. Many have thanked President Donald Trump and his administration for their work in orchestrating the long-awaited reunions.
Noa Argamani, who was kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, by Hamas terrorists alongside her partner, Avinatan Or, rejoiced after being reunited with “the love of my life.”
“Two years passed since the last moment I saw Avinatan, the love of my life. Two years since the moment terrorists kidnapped us, put me on a motorcycle, and tore me away from Avinatan before the eyes of the entire world,” Argamani said. “I was held captive by Hamas for 246 days, while Avinatan was held for 738 days. I came back in a heroic rescue operation, and Avinatan returned in a deal. But both of us, against all odds, came home and were reunited!”
ISRAELI HOSTAGES REUNITED WITH FAMILIES IN EMOTIONAL MOMENTS
“I cannot put into words the range of emotions I felt when I saw him for the first time after so long. Each of us faced death countless times, and yet, after two years apart, we are finally taking our first steps together again in the State of Israel,” she added.
In her post on X, Argamani thanked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for fighting and risking their lives to save the hostages. She also thanked the U.S. government, which she said “opened its doors to me and was always there to listen,” and gave shout-outs to White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Trump, who she called “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.
COUPLE SEPARATED, KIDNAPPED DURING OCT 7 HAMAS ATTACK FINALLY REUNITED AFTER HOSTAGE ORDEAL
“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.”
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.
