Daughter of slain hostage urges Trump’s help ‘to secure a deal now’

Several other family members whose loved ones were killed in captivity in Gaza speak outside the Knesset, calling for a return to hostage negotiations after Israel resumed strikes in Gaza overnight.

The speakers include Merav Svirsky, whose brother, Itay Svirsky, was killed in captivity, and Ayelet Svatitzky, whose brother, Nadav Popplewell, was also killed while held in Gaza.

Svirsky, whose parents were killed in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023, mentions the hostages who have paid with their lives and says their families have paid as well.

Svatitzky says that for months, she traveled the world after her mother Channah Peri and brother Nadav Popplewell were taken captive from Kibbutz Nirim and her other brother, Roi, was killed on October 7. Her mother was released from Gaza in November 2023, but her brother remained in captivity and was killed by Hamas last summer.

“There are 59 hostages still trapped in Gaza, enduring unthinkable horrors— starved, tortured, and chained,” says Svatitzky. “They are struggling to survive. They can still be saved. They can still be brought home. And those who did not survive deserve to be returned and buried with dignity. We must do everything in our power to bring them back. We must return to the ceasefire and negotiations, and secure their release. A deal is the only way to bring them all back. Please, do not let other families suffer the same fate as mine. There is still time. There are still lives to save. Let’s bring them all home.”

Noam Peri, the daughter of hostage Chaim Peri who was murdered in captivity, says her father could have come home alive.

She appeals to US President Donald Trump, recalling the key role he has played in reuniting so many hostage families.

“We need his leadership along with the world’s urgent action — to secure a deal now,” says Peri.