Trump meets freed hostage on October 7 anniversary
On the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, President Donald Trump met with Edan Alexander, a freed American-Israeli hostage, at the White House. The meeting coincides with U.S. efforts to secure a peace deal involving the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas. Commemorations across Washington highlighted the ongoing conflict and calls for action against antisemitism and terrorist-linked groups.
October 7, 2025, marked two years since Hamas's attack on Israel, which killed more than 1,200 people, including 46 Americans, and resulted in over 250 hostages taken, eight of them U.S. citizens. Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old American-Israeli raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, who volunteered for the Israel Defense Forces and was held captive for nearly 600 days before his release in May, met with Trump at the White House. This was Alexander's second visit there since his freedom; he previously visited in July.
The Trump administration has proposed a 20-point plan to end the conflict, requiring Hamas to return all hostages, dead and alive, within 72 hours of agreement, alongside Israeli troop withdrawal and Hamas disarmament. Last Friday, Hamas stated it would release remaining hostages but sought to negotiate the plan further, without agreeing to disarm or addressing amnesty offers for terrorists. Trump warned on Sunday that failure to agree could lead to "complete obliteration," setting an initial 6:00 p.m. ET deadline. Technical teams were set to meet in Egypt on Monday to clarify details, with Trump urging speed to avoid "massive bloodshed."
In Washington, the Kennedy Center hosted a "Sukkah of Hope" event organized by the Hostages & Missing Families Forum, coinciding with the start of Sukkot. The event remembered victims and called for the release of 48 remaining hostages, 20 presumed alive per the United Nations. Freed hostage Keith Siegel recounted being "starved, denied water, beaten" under captors' "absolute power." Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell stated, "We remember the innocent concert goers who were violently murdered by Hamas... and the families who are still waiting for their loved ones to be returned." Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said, "We need to have the hostages released so we can move forward."
Yotam Cohen, brother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, told reporters, "The most important thing right now is that the Israelis want this war to end... to stop this cycle of violence." Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statement reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel, condemning the "brutal terrorist attack" and the "troubling surge in antisemitism." Vice President JD Vance posted on X, remembering victims and supporting Trump's plan for hostages and peace.
Republicans, led by Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, urged the IRS to revoke tax-exempt status for eight organizations allegedly linked to terrorist groups like Hamas, including Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation and Islamic Relief USA. Smith wrote, "These organizations have failed to operate for their tax exempt purpose." This follows Trump's National Security Presidential Memorandum directing the IRS against entities financing violence.
Rep. Andrew Garbarino noted rising antisemitic incidents, with 9,354 recorded in 2024, a 5% increase from 2023.