From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Vance meets Israeli ex-hostages, relatives of captives at White House
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US Vice President JD Vance met earlier today at the White House with a group of former hostages and relatives of current captives in Gaza.
“We remain hopeful” about the chances for a deal, Vance told those present, according to a readout from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents most Gaza captives’ families.
A hostage deal between Israel and Hamas fell apart last month after one phase.
This was Vance’s first organized meeting with such a group, which met yesterday with US President Donald Trump at a National Republican Congressional Committee event in Washington.
During the meeting, Vance acknowledged the hostage families’ pain and the urgency of their loved one’s return, the readout adds.
The Israeli participants expressed their appreciation for the Trump administration’s efforts to secure the release of the remaining 59 hostages.
Attending the meeting were former hostages Iair Horn, Keith Siegel and Aviva Siegel, along with the relatives of hostages Ziv and Gali Berman, Evyatar David, Omri Miran, Eitan Horn, Edan Alexander, Omer Neutra and Itay Chen.
The Times of Israel Community.