Brother of Hamas hostage makes emotional plea to Trump: 'Achieve the biggest deal'

While the world breathes easier following the ceasefire with Iran, families like mine are still holding our breath — because my brother, and 49 other hostages, are still underground in Gaza, waiting to come home.

For almost two weeks, as Iran escalated its attacks, our families lived through a dual nightmare. When Iran's missiles first started falling, my wife was abroad. I was home alone with our three young children, racing to the bomb shelter, trying to hold it together while sirens howled above us. My wife fought to return to Israel — to a country under fire — because she couldn't bear the thought of us facing this alone. 

That's the kind of fear we've been living with.

ISRAELI HOSTAGE FAMILIES MAKE DESPERATE PLEA TO TRUMP AS 'TIME IS RUNNING OUT'

Moshe Or, left, with his brother Avinatan, who is being held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. (The Or family)

I held my children close and did everything I could to comfort them. And still, through it all, my thoughts kept circling back to my younger brother Avinatan. If we were terrified with walls around us, close to our loved ones, what is Avinatan feeling there, underground, in the darkness, surrounded by terrorists? 

That thought never leaves me.

This has been the reality for so many Israeli families — sheltering from bombs above, while knowing our loved ones are still captive below. As the world shifts its attention to the next crisis, the hostages risk being forgotten. But their suffering hasn't ended. Their time is still frozen. And we are still fighting to bring them home.

President Trump, you've shown the world what decisive leadership looks like. Your response to Iran sent a clear message: America stands by its allies, stands for the safety of the entire world. Now, with a ceasefire in place, we must not waste this window of opportunity. You've helped free hostages before. You've said you want a deal that brings them all home. Now you can achieve the biggest deal of all.

President Donald Trump met with seven hostages freed from Hamas captivity on March 7, 2025. (Photo provided by Hostages Families Forum)

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Six hundred and twenty-eight days. That's how long my brother, Avinatan, has been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. Alive — but suffering. Denied sunlight, clean water, medicine and basic freedom. He is being used as a bargaining chip in a cruel game.

Oct. 7, 2023 was Simchat Torah — a holiday that's supposed to celebrate joy and tradition. I had no idea that my brother was even at the Nova music festival, one of the first targets hit by Hamas. The first sign that something was wrong came through social media. Friends started looking for him online. Then the video surfaced — Avinatan, handcuffed, being dragged violently into Gaza, forcibly separated from his girlfriend Noa Argamani. It still doesn't feel real. But every day since then, I've been forced to live it. Noa was rescued this June. Avinatan is still there.

For the first 500 days, we had no idea about his fate. Just the sickening knowledge that he was likely suffering. Then, in March, we finally received a sign of life. It was a breath after months of suffocation. But confirming he's alive is not the goal. The goal is to bring him home that way.

Moshe Or, left, is appealing to President Trump to help free his brother Avinatan and the 49 other hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. (The Or family)

Hostages who've returned describe horrifying conditions: underground tunnels in total darkness, starvation so severe their muscles broke down, and silence so prolonged some forgot how to speak. They face systematic cruelty and torture every day.

Avinatan is 32, my younger brother — thoughtful and full of heart. He's an electrical engineer at Nvidia, a devoted uncle and one of seven siblings in our big, close family. He never misses a birthday and will drive across the country just to show up. A passionate cook, he prepares elaborate meals just to see others smile. Smart, funny, always surrounded by friends — Avinatan is the soul of our family. Our bond never needed daily phone calls or long conversations. We're the kind of brothers who just know. We grew up side by side, and even as we built our own lives, we could still sit together at our mother's house on a Friday afternoon and talk and laugh like no time had passed.

The last time I saw Avinatan was at my youngest daughter's 3rd birthday. She's turning 5 soon. One of her older brothers recently told us his biggest fear is forgetting what Avinatan looks like — forgetting the sound of his voice. This is the childhood they've inherited. And now, on top of everything, they had to wake up to the terrifying sound of sirens — running to shelters, asking questions no child should have to ask.

We miss him in every moment — during celebrations, in sadness, and most of all, in everyday life. At Friday dinners when his chair stays empty, during family milestones that pass without him. The hardest part is realizing how much time has passed, and still, he's there — buried in Hamas's tunnels, waiting for us to bring him home.

President Trump, you have the power to change this story — and complete your mission. The twelve-day operation in Iran has ended. The United States stood with Israel. Now it’s time to turn that success into something even greater: a comprehensive deal that brings all the hostages home and ends this war.

Israeli hostage families carry the photos of their loved ones who are held hostage by Hamas in Gaza as they march to Jerusalem. (Matan Golan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The ceasefire with Iran must mark the beginning of a broader resolution. There are 50 hostages still held in Gaza — some confirmed alive, others known to have been murdered. Every one of them matters. Every one of them must come home.

We thank you, Mr. President, and the people of the United States, for standing with us. We ask you now to help bring this fight to its just conclusion.

Avinatan is still alive. Still waiting. And we will not stop — not until he and every other hostage are home.

Moshe Or is the brother of hostage Avinatan Or, who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023.