Trump: 3 Israeli hostages released Saturday ‘looked like Holocaust survivors’; at some point, ‘we’re going to lose our patience’

In his remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One, US President Donald Trump says the three Israeli hostages who were released Saturday by Hamas looking gaunt and frail resembled Jews under Nazi Germany, warning that “at some point, we’re gonna lose our patience.”

Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami “looked like Holocaust survivors,” Trump says. “They were in horrible condition, they were emaciated… and I don’t know how much longer we can take that.”

He goes on to say the trio “look like they haven’t had a meal in a month,” and that they are “people that were healthy people a reasonably short number of years ago, and you look at them today, they look like they’ve aged 25 years, they literally look like the old pictures of Holocaust survivors, the same thing. No reason for that.”

Trump notes that according to the current ceasefire and hostage deal, captives are supposed to “keep drippling in,” but adds: “They are in really bad shape, they have been treated brutally, horribly. Even the ones that came out earlier, they were in a little bit better shape, but mentally they were treated so badly. Who could take that?

“You know, at some point, we’re gonna lose our patience.”

I watched the hostages come back today. And they looked like Holocaust surivors. They were in horrible condition. They were emacitated. It looked like many years ago the Holocaust survivors. I don't know how much longer we can take that…We're going to lose our patience"
– Trump pic.twitter.com/axyUrhlzPG

— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) February 9, 2025