US President Donald Trump met with a group of former hostages at the White House today (Thursday).
The President told the captivity survivors: "You're not a hostage anymore, today you're heroes." He also stated that their courage "united all Israelis" as well as people around the world.
Trump noted the experiences of captivity survivor Matan Angrest: "Because of service in the IDF, Matan was subjected to severe beatings, even at times losing consciousness. And alone and under a special guard, he went through hell. I guess you really were. I've heard stories that were not good. Look at you, how good you look. It just made you tougher, right? It did, made you tougher. But Matan never broke, and today he's a living testimony to the toughness, heart, and faith of the Jewish people. Great knowing you, you're great inspiration to everybody, whether you're Jewish or not."
At the end of the meeting, Trump personally handed a presidential challenge coin to each of the former hostages.