YARDEN GONEN: Thank you, President Trump, for rescuing my sister from Hamas

President Trump, because of you, I can hug my sister again. After 471 agonizing days, Romi is finally home, and I owe you my deepest gratitude for making this possible. Your unwavering commitment and decisive action helped secure this deal, giving me what I had dreamed of for 15 months – seeing my sister smile again.

Romi is the light of our family. She puts her family first and there’s nothing she won’t do for the ones she loves. That's who she was before October 7th, and that's who she remained even through the darkest moments of captivity.

I will never be able to forget the horrors of that day. Romi was just 23 when Hamas terrorists kidnapped her from the NOVA festival. In her terrifying final moments of freedom, she was on the phone with our mother as she tried to flee the site in a vehicle with her friends. Her last words still haunt us - she said the driver was dead, and that her best friend Gaya had been shot and wasn't responding. She told us she was shot in her hand and would bleed to death if help didn't arrive quickly. 

HAMAS RELEASES 4 FEMALE HOSTAGES AS PART OF ISRAEL CEASEFIRE DEAL

Relatives of hostages from the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, greet President Donald Trump at Capital One Arena on inauguration day, in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

For 471 days, we lived in agony, not knowing what she was experiencing or what was happening to her there. For those 471 days, I lived in a nightmare that no sister should endure. Every passing hour was filled with thoughts of Romi in captivity, wondering if she was cold, hungry, or afraid. We didn't know the extent of her injuries or if she had received any medical care. 

President Trump, we are a family of faith - throughout this horrific ordeal, we knew she would return to us alive, and you made that happen. Your strong and decisive statements gave us hope when we needed it most. When others might have given up, you didn't. When the negotiations seemed impossible, you pushed harder. Your unwavering demand that all hostages must return home proved crucial in securing the deal that brought my Romi and others back to their families.

Romi Gonen, left, with her sister Yarden before the October 7 massacre and mass kidnappings by Hamas terrorists. (The Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Thank you, President Trump, for being the catalyst that turned our hopes into reality. Your leadership showed that even the most difficult diplomatic challenges can be overcome with enough determination.

Watching you bring the families of hostages to the stage during your presidential parade demonstrated your genuine concern and made us feel, 15 months after October 7, that we are not forgotten. Watching the release of four more female hostages - Naama Levy, Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, and Liri Albag - filled my heart with so much hope and love. Four more families were reunited. I know exactly how they feel, how much their families fought for this precious moment, and now 90 more families await their own reunion.

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Yarden, left, embraces Romi upon her release. (Government Press Office)

The moment I first hugged Romi after her release, I felt a joy I could barely put into words. That embrace would not have been possible without your intervention. Your ability to leverage diplomatic channels and your commitment to bringing all the hostages home, even before your inauguration, made the difference between continued captivity and freedom for my sister.

But my family’s work isn't finished. There are still 90 hostages in Gaza – sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, grandparents and young children. Each one of them is someone's Romi. Each one of them has a family waiting, hoping, praying just as we did. None of us who have been reunited with our loved ones can truly heal while others remain in captivity. We need your continued support and influence to bring them home too. 

President Trump, the deal you helped secure didn't just bring my sister home – it gave us all hope that with strong leadership and determination, we can bring everyone back. Please help us complete what you've started and bring every last hostage home, as you so powerfully declared. We're depending on you to ensure all phases of the deal are fulfilled. Dozens of families deserve what you've given mine – that precious moment of holding their loved ones again. 

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Romi Gonen and her mother Meirav Leshem Gonen reunited after Romi's release. (Government Press Office)

Every time I look at Romi now, at her strength and her heart that remained unbroken even through this ordeal, I'm reminded of what your intervention made possible. With your help, we can turn more families' prayers into reunions. Only when all 90 hostages are home can we truly begin to heal.

Thank you, President Trump, for bringing my sister back to me. Please help us bring everyone else home too. Our hope rests with you.