‘We can finally breathe again’

The families of hostages were in Washington, DC on 9 October to commemorate the second anniversary of the attacks on 7 October 2023 when it was announced that the hostages captured by Hamas terrorists would be coming home.

The families were gathered at the Hostage Families’ Sukkah of Hope when they received the news from United States President Donald Trump that the remaining 48 hostages would be freed.

The Sukkah of Hope is a series of memorial and solidarity events and symbolic sukkah structures in Washington, DC to remember victims of the 7 October attacks; support hostage families; and maintain public pressure for their release.

In a video posted by the family members, they said, “We’re the families of hostages. [We] came to Washington, DC this week to mark the 7 October attack against our people when our loved ones were captured by Hamas terrorists. Yesterday, we gathered here in the Sukkah of Hope with the Trump administration. And today, President Trump has done it! He announced just now that our loved ones, the hostages, are coming home.”

In the letter to Trump, the families expressed gratitude for securing a deal that would bring their loved ones home and end the war.

“You have given us back what we thought we had lost forever,” they said. “We can finally breathe again, embrace those we feared we would never hold, and bring to dignified burial those we have lost. You kept your promise, and for that, our families will be forever grateful. We know you will not rest until every last hostage is brought home.”

In the letter, the families invited Trump to meet them on his next visit to Israel, saying that the wives, children, parents, and siblings whose lives he had changed wished to thank him in person.

“We won’t stop fighting until we see the last of the 48 return to their family,” they said in the video. “Those who were murdered in captivity; buried in the land of Israel; those who are still alive, walking through the border and reuniting with us; the families. Thank you, President Trump, for your courage! Thank you, the Trump administration, for doing everything you can to bring them home. Let’s do it!”

The families said they never thought this would be possible, however, since Trump’s election, “the hostage families; the people of Israel; and even the hostages themselves had faith in your ability to end our nightmare and bring peace to the region. This could be one of the greatest shows of support in the history of Israel to a friend and ally.

“Whether an address in the square, a place that has become a symbol of hope and the resilience of the human spirit; a private visit to families; or any gathering that fits your schedule, we will do whatever is necessary to make it possible. We simply need the opportunity to look you in the eye, and express what words alone cannot fully convey – that you gave us back our families, and with them, our hope.”