JD Vance meets hostage families, vows full effort for their release

U.S. Vice President JD Vance met on Wednesday with a group of former hostages and families of individuals still held captive by Hamas, he announced in a post on X.

Among those present were former hostages Iair Horn and Keith and Aviva Siegel, alongside relatives of hostages Omer Neutra, Edan Alexander, Gali and Ziv Berman, Itay Chen, and Omri Miran.

“Today I met with a group of hostages released by Hamas terrorists, along with the families of hostages still held captive,” Vance wrote. “President Trump is committed to reuniting the remaining hostages with their families, something that should have happened long before his return to office.”

The meeting followed a moving moment at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) dinner in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, where Horn and the Siegels were invited by former President Donald Trump to share their stories.

“I am here, and I am alive. President Trump, you saved my life. You saved the life of 33 hostages because of your efforts,” Keith Siegel told the crowd, wearing a yellow scarf symbolizing solidarity with those still in captivity.

Horn wore a T-shirt bearing a photo of his brother and the words “Bring Eitan home now!” He praised Trump’s leadership, saying, “We knew there is now someone who makes things happen. We needed someone who does things - that’s President Trump.”

“You know, I’m a simple man,” Horn added. “I run the bar in the kibbutz in Nir Oz where I live, and now I’m here with President Trump, who’s running the world.”

The emotional gathering highlighted the ongoing plight of hostages still held in Gaza and the renewed efforts by U.S. leaders to secure their release.