Gaza hostage survivors, family members meet Witkoff, Leavitt at White House

Yahoo

2 days ago

Hostage families met with US officials at the White House to push for the release of loved ones. Officials also condemned the recent terror attack in Colorado.
Families of hostages held in Gaza met with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for the first time, the Hostage Families Forum said in a statement on Tuesday.
Participants included Tal Shoham, a survivor of Hamas captivity; Ilan, Merav, and Gal Dalal, the father, mother, and brother of hostage Guy Gilboa Dalal; Galia and Ilay David, the mother and brother of hostage Evyatar David; and Orna and Ronen Neutra, the parents of hostage Omer Neutra.
'We are fully committed to securing the release of all the hostages and believe their return is essential—not only on humanitarian and moral grounds, but also as a critical step toward regional stability,' Leavitt said.
'The meeting between the president and the captivity survivors had a profound impact on him and reinforced his determination to bring every hostage home.'
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said that "officials also expressed deep shock over the recent terror attack in Colorado. They strongly condemned the violence, stressed that there is no place for such acts on American soil, and extended their full support to the victims and all those affected."
Karoline Leavitt stressed Hamas' pattern of "misinformation," in response to a question at a press conference on the same day on whether or not the administration is taking action regarding Gazans being treated for gunshot wounds allegedly due to Israeli fire.
She stated, "Unfortunately, unlike some in the media, we don't take the word of Hamas with total truth, unlike the BBC."
She continued by reading out headlines from the BBC that positioned Israel as the aggressor and stated that the BBC had to delete all their reports because they were false.