Ex-hostage says Trump can bring home all those still captive in Gaza

An American Israeli antheral who was held captive by Hamas has told the BBC that US President Donald Trump has the powerfulness to unafraid the merchandise of the remaining hostages and extremity the warfare successful Gaza.

Keith Siegel, 66, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Hamas-led attacks connected Israel connected 7 October 2023. He was released this February aft 484 days successful captivity nether a ceasefire woody that Trump helped broker conscionable earlier helium took office.

He was taken on with his wife, Aviva, who was held for 51 days earlier being freed during an earlier ceasefire.

Mr Siegel was speaking up of a gathering betwixt Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump astatine the White House connected Monday evening.

In an interrogation successful Tel Aviv, helium thanked Trump for securing his ain merchandise and said the president could present bash the aforesaid for the remaining 50 hostages, up to 20 of whom are believed to inactive beryllium alive.

"I judge helium has a batch of strength, powerfulness and quality to enactment unit connected those that request to beryllium pressured, connected some sides successful bid to get the agreement, get the woody signed, and get each of hostages backmost and bring it into the war," helium said.

Trump has said helium hopes a caller ceasefire and hostage merchandise woody volition beryllium agreed this week, but it appears determination are inactive important gaps betwixt Israel and Hamas.

The 2 sides resumed indirect talks successful Qatar connected Sunday evening but they ended aft 3 hours without a breakthrough, according to a Palestinian official.

Before helium flew to Washington DC, Netanyahu said helium believed his gathering with Trump could "definitely assistance beforehand that effect we are each hoping for".

It is believed the program includes the staggered merchandise of 10 surviving hostages and the bodies of 18 dormant hostages successful speech for Palestinians held successful Israeli jails.

Hamas said connected Friday that it had delivered a "positive response". But a Palestinian authoritative said it had requested respective changes, including a US warrant that hostilities would not resume if negotiations connected an extremity to the warfare failed - an thought Netanyahu has antecedently rejected.

Mr Siegel described successful vivid item however Hamas members bushed and taunted him, and said helium was inactive haunted by the torture of a pistillate captive helium witnessed.

He said Hamas operatives had moved him done the streets of Gaza, sometimes successful daylight, to 33 antithetic locations during the people of his captivity.

When asked whether helium would enactment a woody which released the hostages but saw Hamas stay successful powerfulness successful Gaza, helium replied: "It's of the highest precedence and urgency to get each of the 50 hostages backmost arsenic soon arsenic possible."

But helium continued: "We cannot fto Hamas proceed to endanger radical and to termination and execution people, and I deliberation Hamas is liable for decease connected some sides."

Gaza's Hamas-run wellness ministry says much than 57,000 radical person been killed determination since Israel launched subject operations successful effect to the 7 October attacks, during which astir 1,200 radical were killed successful Israel and 251 others taken hostage.

I asked Mr Siegel, arsenic helium continues to run for the merchandise of the remaining hostages, whether his thoughts besides absorption connected the suffering of the Gazan population.

"I judge that bid and information for each radical and freedom... are basal quality rights that each idiosyncratic deserves," helium said.

"I deliberation it's the work of each enactment to guarantee that that happens. Any guiltless idiosyncratic that is wounded oregon killed oregon murdered is thing that I anticipation oregon I imagination volition not happen."