Trump hosts freed Hamas captives at White House, hails them as 'heroes' | Watch

Trump hosts former Israeli captives at White House

US President Donald Trump hosted nearly all the hostages freed by Hamas over the past month as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement his administration brokered in October.

Welcoming the former captives and their families at the White House, Trump told them, “You’re not a hostage anymore… today you’re heroes.” The group included 26 former hostages, among them 17 of the 20 surviving individuals released under the deal. Trump singled out Matan Angrest, an IDF soldier who was kidnapped while defending the Nahal Oz outpost.

Many of those present were among the last to be freed, emerging after 738 days in captivity. Trump highlighted Angrest’s ordeal, recounting how he was violently abused because of his military service.

“Because of service in the IDF, Matan was subjected to severe beatings, even at times losing consciousness,” Trump said. “He went through hell… Matan never broke, and today he’s a living testimony to the toughness, heart, and faith of the Jewish people.”

President Donald J. Trump hosts freed Israeli hostages at the White House. 🇺🇸💛

“You’re not a hostage anymore—today you’re HEROES.” pic.twitter.com/v0RstOuulb

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 20, 2025

Ahead of the meeting, many of the former captives had expressed their intention to thank Trump for securing their release and urged him to maintain pressure on Hamas to return the remains of three deceased hostages still held in Gaza.

At the gathering, Trump expressed affection for the group: “It’s an honor to get to know all of you… We love you all, and our country loves you all… you’re amazing people.”

The roster of attendees included Matan Angrest, Omri Miran, Bar Kuperstein, Nimrod Cohen, Ziv and Gali Berman, Ariel and David Kunio, Matan Zangauker, Ilana Gritzewsky, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Segev Kalfon, Evyatar David, Eitan and Iair Horn, Yosef-Chaim Ohana, Avinatan Or, Noa Argamani, Eitan Mor, and Elkana Bohbot.

The White House event coincided with fresh Israeli strikes in Gaza. According to Gaza health officials, five people were killed on Thursday, prompting Qatar, a key mediator, to warn that the attacks risked destabilising the fragile truce. The renewed violence followed one of the deadliest days since the ceasefire took effect on October 10 and came as Israel also struck targets linked to Hezbollah in Lebanon.