(NewsNation) — Seven hostages who were freed from Hamas captivity are set to meet President Donald Trump and administration officials at the White House today.
Eli Sharabi, Doron Steinbrecher, Keith Siegel, Aviva Siegel, Naama Levy, Omer Shem Tov and Iair Horn were released as part of the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal and traveled to Washington via private plane.
Sharabi has been a standout voice representing the hostages, largely thanks to his emotional account of what he went through, saying one minute he had a wife and kids — the next, he was tortured and starved, forever separated from his family.
On Tuesday, the group is expected to thank White House officials for their role in mediating the war in Gaza. They will also likely talk about their firsthand experience as prisoners held in tunnels in Gaza.
The group is also expected to push for the White House to bring the rest of the hostages home. The second phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire has not been negotiated, and the first phase expired Saturday.
In the second phase, Hamas was originally asked to release dozens of remaining hostages in exchange for an Israeli pullout and permanent ceasefire.
Israeli officials said Sunday they support a proposal to extend the first phase through Passover and Ramadan — near the end of April — crediting the idea to Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
If that plan gets the green light, Hamas would release half the hostages on the first day and the remaining when a permanent ceasefire agreement is reached.