Family members of hostages being held in Gaza had high praise for President Donald Trump following the news that Israel and Hamas would sign a cease-fire agreement and all hostages would be returned.
A group of families was with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Oct. 8, and spoke with Trump by phone, making comments such as “Thank you,” “You did it,” and “This is amazing.”
One of the family members gathered around Lutnick’s phone said, “Mr. President, we believe in you. We know you’ve done so much for us…. We trust you fulfilled the mission until every hostage, every 48 of the hostages, are home. Thank you so much. Blessed be the peacemakers.”
On Wednesday evening, several hostage families joined U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in a phone call with Trump.
A video shared by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum on X captured one family member saying: “Since you became a president, even before that, we trust you will fulfill the mission until every 48 of the hostages are home. Thank you so much. Blessed be the peacemakers.”
President Trump on the phone with hostage family members and captivity survivors in Washington a few moments ago. pic.twitter.com/V3riZgMi84
— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) October 9, 2025
Lutnick also thanked Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law and former Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner for their efforts.
Rebecca Bohbot, the wife of hostage Elkana Bohbot, shared her gratitude in a message on X.
“I have no words left—only tears of joy. My heart is overflowing with gratitude for bringing them all home soon. Thank you for making this happen. I am praying for the safe return of all the hostages, including Elkana,” she said. “We love you, President Trump.”
Large crowds also gathered at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Thursday to celebrate the agreement. In Jerusalem, Israelis expressed gratitude to both U.S. and Israeli leaders.
“So happy to hear the hostages are coming back,” one resident told Reuters. “Thank you, Trump. Thank you, Netanyahu.”
Some in the crowd were chanting that Trump should receive the Nobel Prize.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had put forward Trump’s name in July, said on Thursday that Trump was deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. The call comes just a day ahead of the announcement of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents relatives of most of the Israeli hostages, invited the public to join them in solidarity, writing, “It’s not over until everyone comes home.”
Speaking from the square, Rotem Cooper—the son of Amiram Cooper, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023, and later murdered in captivity—said in an interview with the Jewish Chronicle: “We’re like soldiers who went through a battle. There is no sense of relief, not yet. There would be a sense of relief when we see live hostages coming back.”
A recent poll by the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute found that 66 percent of Israelis believe the time has come to end the war in Gaza. Those numbers reflect an increase of 13 percentage points from the same period last year.
The leading reason cited for ending the conflict was concern for the safety of hostages, mentioned by 50.5 percent of Jewish respondents and 34.5 percent of Arab respondents. The poll surveyed 800 respondents in Hebrew and 200 in Arabic, constituting a representative sample of the Israeli population over 18.
World Reactions
Celebrations across Israel and Gaza come as world leaders also expressed gratitude to Trump for leading the peace efforts.
U.N. Secretary-General António Gutteres on Thursday commended the diplomatic efforts of the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey in brokering what he described as “the desperately needed breakthrough.”
“For Israelis and Palestinians alike, this deal offers a glimmer of relief, and that glimmer must become the dawn of peace, the beginning of the end of this devastating war,” he said.
Leaders from across Europe and the Middle East welcomed the deal and urged its implementation.
Netanyahu’s office said on Thursday that the Israeli Security Cabinet will meet at 5 p.m. local time, followed by a government meeting at 6 p.m.
The war in Gaza has raged since Oct. 7, 2023, when terrorist groups led by Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and capturing more than 250 hostages. Today, an estimated 20 hostages are still believed to be alive in captivity.
