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Wednesday, July 9, 2025
After meetings at White House, hostage families say Trump administration committed to returning all captives
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Families of hostages held in Gaza have wrapped up a meeting with Trump administration officials at the White House, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum says in a statement.
“We heard for an additional time about the Trump administration’s commitment to returning all the hostages. They won’t stop until all 50 hostages return home. These moments are critical, and we trust the Trump administration to bring everyone with a complete agreement,” the statement reads.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said yesterday that the administration would hold the meeting in order to update the families on the state of the hostage talks in Doha.
The hostage families currently in Washington are opposed to the hostage deal framework that is being advanced, as it only secures the release of roughly half of the remaining hostages, while leaving the fate of the other half to the whim of subsequent negotiations on a permanent ceasefire.
Israel has preferred this framework, though, as it doesn’t want to give an up-front commitment to permanently end the war.
Trump officials have reportedly assured the families that the deal will ultimately see the release of all the families.
The Times of Israel Community.