US President Donald Trump met eight freed Israeli hostages Wednesday afternoon and promised to get the remaining hostages out. "My family and I, myself-we believe you have been sent by God to release us," one of the hostages told the president. In a meeting at the Oval Office, the President listened to the heartbreaking stories of hostages and the conditions they had to live in.
When asked if it was "hell", a woman replied: "It was the worst thing anybody could go through."
Narrating an incident, the woman recalled the time when a captor handcuffed one of the boys and cut his hand and smiled. "They used to eat in front of us while they starved us," she added.
Another man remembered being in captivity for 491 days and suffering from starvation, violence and humiliation every day. "I was kidnapped on October 7. My wife and two daughters were murdered on the same day...One time, they broke my ribs, and it hurt so much that I couldn't breathe for a month. Thanks to President Trump, I'm a free man. I can hug my mother again. I can hug my brothers and sisters."
An old man, one of the eight hostages, said he was moved 33 times. "I spent time in tunnels with no air to breathe, barely food, hardly any water. I saw the horrific torturing of hostages that I spent time with." He thanked President Trump and the administration for their "great efforts."
"My little brother is still in there," said a man. To this, a woman, standing next to Mr Trump said that there are "so many hostages that are waiting to be released."
"We think they can get out thanks to you", added another.
"We are here because of you. We are alive and free because of you," echoed the hostages released from Gaza.
"That's unbelievable...I've saved a lot of people, but I've never seen anything like this where you lived under those conditions. Horrible stories. Not even believable. We'll get them out. Watch," said President Trump.
Soon after the meeting, Trump issued a "last warning" to Hamas, asking them to "release the hostages now or there will be hell to pay later". In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump wrote, "Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you. Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted! I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don't do as I say."
Mr Trump also addressed the people of Gaza, raising their hopes of a beautiful future only if hostages are released. "If you do (hold hostages), you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision," he added.
