President Trump invites 20 Israeli hostages released from Hamas to visit White House

The twenty Israeli hostages who were released from Hamas captivity on Oct.13 will travel to the United States on Monday, at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump. 

President Trump invited the hostages to meet him at the White House after he was unable to visit with them during his brief visit to Israel last month, in which he announced his Gaza Peace Plan, and during which the 20 living hostages were released. 

Due to the need to conduct medical evaluations and the private family reunions of the hostages with their loved ones in Israel, along with the president’s tight schedule, Trump was unable to see the hostages at that time. 

Since returning to the White House, President Trump has made securing the release of all remaining Israeli hostages, both living and dead, one of the primary goals of his Middle East foreign policy, believing it to be a necessary condition for moving to a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, and part of a broader attempt to bring peace to the region. 

The U.S. President has regularly invited the released hostages to visit him at the White House and some hostages and family members of deceased hostages were invited to his State of the Union speech in March. 

Trump invited all 20 hostages released on Oct. 13 to visit him in the White House, and afterwards to speak with U.S. politicians from Congress, along with other leaders. The hostages are also expected to meet with Trump advisor Jared Kushner and special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. It is not known if all 20 will make the trip. 

President Trump had originally offered to charter a U.S. plane to bring the hostages and family members to Washington; however, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Israeli government would pay for the hostages to fly to the U.S. 

In Israel, Netanyahu received some criticism for rejecting Trump’s offer, while refusing to fly the hostages on the government’s Wings of Zion plane.

As a result of the Israeli government’s decision to fly the hostages via commercial flight on Israeli airline Arkia, the hostages will not be flying directly to Washington D.C., as they would have if Trump had provided the flight. Instead, the hostages will fly to New York City, where Arkia has an established route, and then take shuttles to Washington, a trip of approximately 5 hours, depending on traffic. 

Several families expressed concern over how the trip could impact the health of the recently released hostages, as few tests have been done on the effects of travel on people in similar conditions. Most of the hostages are still involved in some form of physical therapy to recover from the conditions of their captivity. 

Professor Haggai Levin, head of the health unit at the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, told Ynet News that the situation of the hostages is still complex. 

“The former hostages and their families are in a complex rehabilitation process after more than two years of inhuman suffering, with damage to body and mind,” Levin said. “The health system of the forum tracked and documented the harm of the captivity on the surviving hostages and their families, but no one can predict what the long‑term effects will be.” 

A source familiar with the details of the trip told Ynet that some families are concerned the government is not considering the hostages' needs. 

“There is a sense that the Hostages, Missing Persons and Returnees Directorate of the Prime Minister's Office is not considering the needs of the returnees and their triggers. Nothing is organized properly,” the source said. 

The source said that some aspects of the trip were changed without the hostages knowing, such as the addition of journalists. 

“Some of the escorts are on standby, and the former hostages cannot fly alone. In addition, journalists were added to the flight without informing everyone. Some of the former hostages don’t want to fly because of this.” 

Professor Levin said that proper communication and allowing the former hostages to have a choice in what they are doing is an important part of their rehabilitation. 

While recognizing the public interest in the hostages and their families, he said, “Nonetheless, it is vital that their autonomy and choice – which were denied them in the past – in what activities they will participate in, be preserved, with their needs placed at the center. To maintain trust and confidence, it is advisable to provide prior information on the conditions and planning, with full transparency, along with stability and avoidance of sudden changes in plans.” 

The government's Hostages, Missing Persons and Returnees Directorate responded to some of the complaints levied against it, noting that previous hostage visits to the U.S. were also done on commercial flights. 

“As with past delegations, the administration flies the former hostages and family members on regular commercial flights,” the Directorate said. “Due to the importance of the issue – many efforts were made to carry out the flight on a tight schedule.” 

The Directorate also said that the provision of a chartered flight was not possible, “due to the short timeframe and air-traffic constraints.” 

“Arkia is providing for the former hostages a premium class cabin separated from the rest of the passengers, a stay in a separate lounge before the flight, fast check‑in procedures and more. It should be noted that we are maximally considerate of the former hostages’ medical requirements and needs of the families, and the delegation is traveling with a medical team,” the Directorate stated. 

It also noted that the government’s “Wing of Zion plane is used only by the country’s top leaders.”