It’s been two years since Hamas attacked Israel, killing Ronen Neutra’s son and taking his body captive. Since then, numerous hostage deals have fallen through, but now the father says, “We sense a shift.”
“For the first time, there’s a real alignment, recognition that the moral center of the war is not territory or politics, but it’s the fate of the hostages,” Neutra said Tuesday during an event at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to mark the anniversary of Oct. 7.
After the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, Neutra and his wife thought their son, Omer Neutra, had been taken alive as a hostage to Gaza. For more than a year, they advocated for his freedom, and when they learned he was killed on Oct. 7 and his remains were being held in Gaza, their advocacy continued.
Omer Neutra and Itay Chen are the last two American-Israelis whose remains are still being held hostage in Gaza. Among the 48 hostages still in Gaza, about 20 are thought to be still alive, and now, following President Donald Trump’s proposed 20-point peace plan for the war, there is again hope that all remaining hostages, living and dead, will return home as soon as this month.
Last week, Trump presented a 20-point plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas that includes the disarmament of Hamas and the return of all hostages. Israel has accepted the deal, and Hamas has agreed to parts of the plan, but says “details” need to be worked out. Negotiations are underway in Egypt, and officials from Qatar, Turkey, and the U.S. are working to reach an agreement both Israel and Hamas will accept.
Former American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel told The Daily Signal he would not be alive today if it were not for Trump.
“I just want to take this opportunity to thank … President Trump,” Siegel said, “to tell President Trump that he saved my life and how grateful I am for that and many other lives that he … brought home to their families.”
Siegel was one of three hostages released in a deal at the beginning of February after spending 484 day in captivity.
“We had to beg to go to the toilet,” Siegel said. “We had to knock on the door and hope that they would come and open the door. Sometimes they would, and sometimes they wouldn’t. We were abused, the two of us, physically, mentally, psychologically, in many, many ways I never imagined.”
For 2-1/2 months, Siegel was held with Matan Angrest, an Israeli soldier who was seriously injured and burned on Oct. 7 when a missile hit his tank.
Siegel was held with three other hostages for a time during his captivity.
“When I was released, I never thought that I would be released, and my four friends, and all of the 48 hostages that are still there would stay there,” Siegel said.
“I see and I realize President Trump is still pushing forward,” he added, “and I can see that he’s the driving force behind an agreement that will bring all of the hostages back and bring an end to the war.”
Trump and first lady Melania Trump sent a letter to the hostage family members Tuesday morning reiterating his commitment to “returning all the hostages home” and bringing an end to the war.
“We envision a time when, one day, the terror and bloodshed will end,” Trump said, “including in nations that have been torn by decades, if not centuries, of strife.”
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