Families of Israeli Hostages Address First US House Foreign Affairs Committee Meeting of 2025
Yesterday the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Representative Michael Mast (R-FL), held its first meeting of the current congressional session. The following family members of Israeli hostages were present at the event, Hamas captivity survivor Ilana Gritzewsky, Gal Gilboa-Dalal, Ilay David, Ronen Neutra, Moshe Emilio Lavi, and Daniel Lifshitz.
Ilana Gritzewsky, Hamas captivity survivor, girlfriend of Matan Zangauker told the meeting that: “On the way to Gaza, they kept beating me because, for them, I was a prize. They also started touching me everywhere and at that point on the motorcycle, I passed out. Physically and mentally, I couldn’t handle it anymore. I guess my body preferred to shut down.
They took us to a filthy house infested with cockroaches. We slept on the floor with a thin mattress that wasn’t really a mattress. We spent about 40 days there – with barely any food, almost no water, constant psychological terror. In 55 days in captivity, I lost 24 pounds. They did not give me any medicine, no doctor came to see me, even though I told them I was suffering from colitis and anemia. The terrorists dictated everything – when we could speak, when we could go to the bathroom, when we could get up. They woke us up in the middle of the night for interrogations, she said.
After more than 50 days, I found out that my boyfriend Matan was also a hostage, just a short distance away, but I couldn’t reach him. I begged the terrorists to let me see him. They said, ‘Later.’ The next day, they told me I was leaving. I refused. I wanted to see Matan. I knew that if I would leave, my soul would remain there, in Gaza. I left with a hole in my heart. I promised my friends I would do everything in my power to bring them home. And now, I am keeping that promise. Please, help bring Matan home. President Trump is doing everything in his power to demand the release of all hostages. We are so grateful for that. Please stand behind him,” she concluded.
Ilay David, brother of Evyatar David while addressing the meeting said that: “The second stage of this deal cannot wait. The lives and honor of 76 people are hanging in the balance, and we must ensure that we keep moving forward. Every day that passes makes their suffering worse, and our determination to bring them home must only grow stronger. I trust President Trump can help get us there. His leadership has already brought hostages back, and I trust that with his continued efforts, we can reach the next stage of this agreement. The families of the hostages are counting on the world to stay engaged, to keep up the pressure, and to make sure this mission is completed. We must see this through until every last hostage, both the living and those who have been taken from us forever, are returned home where they belong.”
Ronen Neutra, father of American citizen Omer Neutra said: “After months of tireless work by the negotiators and President Trump’s election, we finally started to see hostages coming out. A deal was signed—but it is fragile, and only a first phase has been agreed to. We trust that President Trump and his team will make sure that the releases continue—among them 6 American citizens—until the last hostage is freed. We saw how starved and frail the three returning hostages looked. They are being tortured in the tunnels; it is urgent. We must make sure that the deceased are returned respectfully to their families, to receive an honorable final resting place.”
Gal Gilboa-Dalal, survivor of the NOVA music festival, brother of Guy Gilboa-Dalal told: “I’ll never forget the sight of countless young people lying lifeless. I was shot at and had to keep running, taking cover wherever I could. After nearly 10 hours of fleeing and hiding, I was finally rescued by our forces—only to learn that my brother had been kidnapped by Hamas.
Since then, my family, like so many other families, are tormented by our imaginations of what Guy is enduring. While Guy is subjected to physical and sexual abuse, we are also psychologically tortured by Hamas’ sick game. Our hearts break at the sight of the recently released hostages. The horror they endured is evident, and no words can convey the urgency of freeing all hostages more powerfully than the images themselves,” he concluded.
