US President Donald Trump hosts a delegation of hostage families at the White House on November 20, 2025. (White House/X)
Released hostage Segev Kalfon passed along a letter to US President Donald Trump during his visit to the White House earlier this week, Channel 12 news reports.
“In the most difficult moments, when hope faded away, the thought of big America and of your leadership helped me believe that one day, I will be able to leave Hamas captivity. You, Mr. President, were the light for me in the darkest moments in the dark tunnels,” Channel 12 quotes the letter as reading.
Freed hostage Segev Kalfon speaks with Channel 12 news in an interview aired on November 1, 2025. (Channel 12 screenshot)
“As an Israeli patriot, I had accepted the possibility that I would bury myself for my country. Also now, after I have been released, the things I saw will stay with me forever and won’t allow me to ever feel safe in my country,” he wrote.
Channel 12 reports that Kalfon asked a special request from Trump, that he asked to keep private from the media.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel