Hostage Families Urge Nobel Peace Prize for Trump
Families of Israelis still held hostage in Gaza have appealed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award the Nobel Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump, praising his recent push to end the Israel–Hamas conflict.
In their letter, released through the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, relatives described the past two years as “unbearable” but said that Trump’s persistence has brought them to a “turning point.”
“President Trump’s determination to pursue peace made possible what many believed could never happen,” the families wrote. “He promised not to rest until every hostage is home—and he’s kept that promise.”
The letter argues that no other leader has made greater progress toward peace over the past year, crediting Trump with achieving results where others offered only speeches and promises.
The appeal coincides with renewed negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. An Israeli delegation traveled there this week to finalize the details of a proposed hostage-release deal, following Hamas’s tentative acceptance of Trump’s ceasefire framework.
Israel Unveils Website Detailing October 7 Atrocities
To mark two years since the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism has launched a new digital archive called “The Missing October 7th Files.”
The online project reveals internal Hamas documents recovered by Israeli security forces over the past two years. These include handwritten notes from slain Hamas commander Yahya Sinwar, instructions for gunmen to record themselves during the attacks, and religious rulings justifying violence against Jews.
According to the ministry, the evidence shows that the assault was not spontaneous but the result of years of planning and indoctrination. The files, it said, expose “the organized evil” behind the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
The website aims to preserve the historical record and counter efforts to deny or distort the events of October 7, when thousands of Hamas and allied militants stormed southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. Two years later, Israeli officials believe roughly 20 of the 48 remaining hostages in Gaza are still alive.
Over 1,150 Israeli Security Personnel Killed Since October 7
Ahead of the second anniversary of the Hamas invasion, Israel’s Defense Ministry released updated figures showing the staggering toll of the ongoing war.
Since the attacks began on October 7, 2023, 1,152 members of Israel’s security forces—including IDF soldiers, police officers, intelligence agents, and local defense volunteers—have been killed. Another 978 civilians, among them 62 children, have also lost their lives to terrorism during the same period.
Nearly half of the fallen soldiers were under 21 years old. The casualties leave behind nearly 6,500 bereaved family members, including parents, widows, and orphans.
The human cost continues to rise: over the past year alone, 262 additional security personnel have died in combat. Tens of thousands of civilians still suffer from psychological trauma, and more than 80,000 people have reported physical or emotional injuries linked to the conflict.
Mental-health hotlines report record levels of distress calls, with experts warning of widespread emotional exhaustion and “quiet suffering” across Israeli society.
A senior Defense Ministry official described the moment bluntly: “The history of Israel is written in the blood of our sons and daughters. Two years on, the work of remembering and supporting the families has only just begun.”
