US envoy Witkoff tells freed soldiers of shared ‘common goal’ to bring all hostages home; wants invite to Daniella Gilboa’s wedding

The US Embassy published footage of Thursday’s meeting between US President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and four IDF surveillance soldiers recently released from Hamas captivity.

The four soldiers — Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, Liri Albag and Karina Ariev — met with Witkoff, accompanied by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. The fifth freed surveillance soldier, Agam Berger, was released that day, five days after her comrades were released.

Speaking to the soldiers and their families, Witkoff tells them that Trump “could not be more happy” about their return from captivity.

“The people of the United States stand with you, the president stands with you, and we have a common goal to bring everybody home so everybody, every family can have this moment,” he says.

Speaking on behalf of her comrades, Albag tells Witkoff that seeing the efforts of those working to get them home “gave us the hope to stay alive.”

“That’s a big thing that you tell us,” the US diplomat responds.

Channel 12 reports that, in the course of the meeting, the soldiers told Witkoff that when they heard, in captivity, that Trump had been elected, it gave them encouragement, because they believed this would advance their release, though they didn’t believe it would do so as quickly as it did. They told their captors the same thing, the TV report says.

In another snippet of the footage, as Witkoff embraces the hostages before departing, he jokes to Gilboa — whose partner proposed to her upon her release — that he expects an invitation to her wedding.

“I want to go to all the weddings!” he says.

.@SteveWitkoff , U.S. special envoy for the Middle East, met last Thursday at @Beilinson_ENG with the four female soldiers who were released a week ago, after a long period in Hamas captivity.

This event highlights the importance of international cooperation, as we continue to… pic.twitter.com/sUl1QzekmZ

— U.S. Embassy Jerusalem (@usembassyjlm) February 2, 2025