by WorldTribune Staff, June 5, 2025 Real World News
An Israeli who was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023 and held for more than 500 days said his captors began treating the hostages better immediately after President Donald Trump was elected in November.
Released hostages met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in March. / X“[The terrorists] were very scared of [Trump]. They wanted Kamala to be elected,” Omer Shem Tov told CNN in an interview that aired on Wednesday.
“But as soon as Donald Trump was elected, they understood he wants to bring the hostages back home. So immediately, the way they treated me changed,” the 22-year-old added. “More food, [they] treated me better. Stopped cursing me. Stopped spitting on me.”
Shem Tov and seven other hostages who were released met with Trump in the Oval Office in March.
“My family and, I, myself, we believe you’ve been sent by God to release us. You really helped. You have the power to do it,” he told the president.
Naama Levy concurred that Trump made the difference, saying, “You were our hope, when we were there. Now you’re their hope,” referring to those still held captive.
“Once you were elected, we heard that you want to do everything to make a deal as soon as possible,” she added.
Trump responded, “Well, we said … ‘You better let them out.’ … Something happened. Now we’ve got to get the rest out. We’re working on it very hard.”
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steven Witkoff announced on Wednesday a framework had been agreed to for a temporary ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
“And I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution — temporary cease-fire and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution — of that conflict,” Witkoff said.
The deal “calls for the release of 10 living hostages and 18 deceased hostages, as well as a 60-day truce,” an Israeli official told CNN.
Breaking: released hostages met with President Trump and thanked him for managing to get the hostage deal done – and asked him to get the rest of them out as well.
This is what they told him:
Omer Shem Tov: “My family and, I, myself we believe you’ve been sent by god to release… pic.twitter.com/lwx9SYHeTH— Neria Kraus (@NeriaKraus) March 5, 2025
Former Israeli hostage: Captors had attitude change immediately after Trump’s election added by Editor Two on June 5, 2025
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