'They Must Be Brought Home!': Trump Calls On All Americans To Keep Hostages Held By Hamas In Gaza 'In Our Thoughts'

On Tuesday, Republican nominee Donald Trump took to Truth Social to encourage the American public to keep the American hostages held by the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza "in our thoughts." The message comes as Israel and Iran are on the brink of war and Iran's proxies, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and the Houthis in Yemen, become increasingly aggressive.

"Let's all continue to keep the American hostages held in Gaza in our thoughts. They must be brought home!" Trump wrote, adding the names of the five American hostages: Edan Alexander, Omer Neutra, Hersh Goldberg Polin, Sagui Deckel Chen, and Kith Siegel.

The ex-president made it clear to the world during the Republican National Convention that he would work to get American hostages held by America's adversaries back during his second term. "And to the entire world, I tell you this: we want our hostages back, and they better be back before I assume office, or you will be paying a very big price," Trump said.

The ongoing war in Gaza that began after Hamas killed over 1,000 Israelis and took hundreds more hostage has led to multiple crises in the past months, with a direct attack from Iran expected within the week. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ordered the Iranian military to strike Israel directly after the Israeli Defense Forces were successful in assassinating multiple leaders of both Hamas and Hezbollah, including Hamas's political leader Ismail Haniyeh. The decision to strike Iran was made last week during an emergency meeting of Iran's Supreme National Security Council after Haniyeh was found dead in his Tehran hotel.

In April, Iran launched hundreds of drones against Israel after another assassination by the IDF eliminated several Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders. While the Iranian attack was a historic first for the authoritarian regime in Tehran, the drones were successfully shot down by an international coalition that included the Israeli, American, British, French, Jordanian, and Saudi militaries. Many defense analysts saw the attack as a way to de-escalate from the brink of war while still allowing the Iranian leaders to say that they retaliated against Israel.

A potential second attack could escalate the war into a regional conflict after Iran's leader publicly vowed revenge on the Israelis. "The criminal, terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our territory and has caused our grief, but it has also prepared the ground for a severe punishment. Martyr Haniyeh was willing to sacrifice his honorable life in this dignified battle for many years. He was prepared for martyrdom and had sacrificed his children and loved ones on this path," Iran's leader posted to X. "Following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, it is our duty to take revenge."

American hostages have been held in captivity for nearly a year in the Gaza Strip, and President Trump's highlighting of their plight is welcome news for the families who want their loved ones back safely.

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