The former Hamas hostages have called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump and the special envoy of the Middle East Steve Witkov to move quickly to free the rest of the hostages, even if that means stopping military operations.
After the release of Edan Alexander of Israel in the United States earlier this week, 65 survivors imprisoned by Hamas urged Netanyahu, Trump and Witkov to seize the moment, "don't let this historic moment stop."
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the White House in Washington, DC on February 4, 2025. (Reuters/Elizabeth Franz)
"We believe that the Israeli government is now facing a real opportunity to return to the negotiation table. We urge all those involved in this process: Please do not walk away before signing the full deal."
Edan Alexander
On October 7, 2023, Hamas took 251 hostages, 12 of whom were U.S. citizens. Keith Siegel, Edan Alexander and Sagui Dekel-Chen are all alive. Hersh Goldberg-Polin's body was taken out of Gaza in August 2023. Hamas is still holding the remains of several Americans who have been confirmed to die: Omer Neutra, Itay Chen, Judith Weinstein Haggai and Gadi Haggai.
Since October 2023, Israeli supporters have detained hostages in the Gaza Strip, lifting slogans and flags held at a rally demanding a deal with the Palestinian Hamas Group to bring the remaining captives back to February 11, 2025. (Menahem Kahanna/AFP via Getty Images)
Hostages released from Gaza told Trump that he was "sent from God" to save them, but there is more to do with it
Siegel is one of the former signing the letter. He had previously thanked Trump for ensuring his release and even praised the president for being alive. Now, he is joining other former Hamas prisoners, demanding those who remain in Gaza “regardless of their citizenship.”
President Donald Trump on May 13, 2025 in Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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In the days after Alexander's release, Trump worked hard to reach a deal for the United States, and while the latest deal appears to have nothing to do with the rest of the hostages, many of them may also benefit.
The president demanded that Syria join the Abraham agreement and normalize ties with Israel in exchange for sanctions relief. In addition, Trump said Damascus needed to deport "Palestinian terrorists" to help the United States prevent the revival of ISIS and bear the charges of ISIS detention centers in northeastern Syria.
Netanyahu's office declined to comment on the letter. The White House did not respond to Fox News numbers' request for timely comment.
Bradford Betz of Fox News Digital contributed to the report.