TIMES OF ISRAEL
Trump hosts captives he helped free from Gaza: ‘You’re not hostages anymore, you’re heroes’
Jacob Magid
November 21, 2025

US President Donald Trump hosted a delegation at the White House on Thursday of nearly all the hostages freed through as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal he brokered last month. “You’re not a hostage anymore… today you’re heroes,” Trump told the former hostages and their families in a brief portion of his prepared remarks that were filmed and released by the White House. The Israeli delegation was made up of 26 former hostages, including 17 of the 20 living captives who were released in the deal that took force in October. Among those 17 was Matan Angrest, who Trump singled out for praise. “Because of his service in the IDF, Matan was subjected to severe beatings, even at times losing consciousness. Alone and under special guard, he went through hell,” Trump said in another short video posted by the Hostages Families Forum. READ MORE