A group of seven people who were freed from Hamas’ captivity are traveling to Washington, D.C., to meet with U.S. officials.
Eli Sharabi, Doron Steinbrecher, Keith Siegel, Aviva Siegel, Naama Levy, Omer Shem Tov and Iair Horn will meet with officials from the Trump administration, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters.
The released hostages will express their gratitude to the Trump administration for the president’s commitment to bringing all the hostages home.
The group will provide firsthand testimony about their experiences in Hamas’ tunnels.
The delegation will stress to government officials about the need to require Hamas to return all remaining hostages immediately in a single phase.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Sunday with Sharabi.
“I deeply appreciate the courageous way you are sharing your experience, and it is also important that you share it with President Trump,” Netanyahu told him. “Our goal is to bring all the hostages home – and we will not relent for a moment.”
Sharabi replied that he was glad to be home and reunited with his family, but emphasized that “the remaining hostages, especially those who are still alive, must return home to their families urgently.”
“And of course, the fallen hostages, including my brother Yossi, must be brought back for burial in Israel so that their families have a grave to mourn at,” Sharabi said.
On Sunday, Israeli officials announced that they are stopping the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip and warned Hamas it would face “additional consequences” if it does not accept a new proposal for an extended ceasefire. An Israeli official said the decision to suspend aid was made in coordination with the Trump administration.
The White House backed the move by Israel, saying that the Jewish State has “negotiated in good faith since the beginning of this administration to ensure the release of hostages held captive by Hamas terrorists.”
The first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, which included an uptick in humanitarian assistance, expired on Saturday. The two sides have not yet negotiated the second phase, in which Hamas was called to release dozens of remaining hostages in return for an Israeli pullout and a permanent ceasefire.
Israeli officials also said on Sunday that they support a proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover, or April 20. They said the proposal came from the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Under that deal, Hamas would release half the hostages on the first day and the remainder when an agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire, according to Netanyahu’s office.
In the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and the remains of eight others in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli also pulled back forces from most of Gaza and allowed a surge of humanitarian aid to enter the region.
The war began when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing roughly 1,200 people and abducting more than 251. Hamas still has 59 hostages, 32 of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel’s offensive into Gaza in response to Hamas’ attack has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run government’s Gaza Health Ministry. It does not specify how many of the dead were terrorists or civilians.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
