Face-to-face with Trump: A survivor’s plea for hostages

Judith Raanan, the first woman freed from captivity after the October 7 Hamas massacre, met with U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump on Monday, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters.

During the meeting, Judith shared her harrowing experience of being kidnapped and held in Gaza and presented Trump with a heartfelt drawing she had created. Her central message was clear: she trusts Trump to act decisively to bring home all remaining hostages, both the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for proper burial.

Judith and her daughter Natalie, both Israeli-American citizens, were kidnapped from their family home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7 and released on October 20. Just minutes after crossing back into Israeli territory, Judith received a congratulatory call from U.S. President Joe Biden, to which she replied, “The work has only begun—we must bring everyone home immediately.”

The Raanans, residents of Chicago, had been visiting family in Israel when the attack occurred. Their release marked a glimmer of hope amid weeks of uncertainty, and Judith’s meeting with Trump highlights the ongoing urgency to secure the safe return of more than 100 hostages still in captivity.

* Arutz 7 contributed to this article.