Trump’s Middle East visit inspires hope among hostage families

Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on May 13-16.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

American-Israeli families whose loved ones are still held hostage in Gaza have expressed hope that US President Donald Trump’s planned Middle East visit will usher in a renewed release deal.

Trump’s visit to the region, the first since his reelection, will include stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from May 13 to May 16.

Although a visit to Israel is not on the agenda, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu has made two trips to the White House since Trump took office in January.

“The vision that I have is that when he visits Saudi Arabia… he brings back five US citizens on his plane, including my son, and that he calls up and says, ‘Mr. Chen, Mrs. Chen. I got your kid. He’s on his way back home,” said Ruby Chen, the father of deceased American-Israeli hostage Itai Chen

Four other Americans are also being held: 21-year-old Edan Alexander, who is believed to be alive, as well as the remains of 21-year-old Omer Neutra, 70-year-old Judith Weinstein Haggai, and 73-year-old Gadi Haggai.

The parents of Alexander, Chen and Neutra met with the press and Trump administration officials in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

During a speech on Thursday, Trump acknowledged Adi and Yael Alexander, the parents of Edan Alexander.

“We don’t know how he’s doing, really…. We think we know, and hopefully [it’s] positive,” Trump says. “Two months ago, we were pretty sure. It looked like he was getting out. But they’ve toughened up a little bit. And it’s a terrible thing, I know, what you’re going through.

“We’re working very. Very hard to save your son,” he continued. “We have news coming out — both good and bad.”

“Things are heating up there,” Trump added.

In late March, US officials made an unprecedented move to negotiate directly with Hamas. They proposed a deal that would see the release of Alexander and the remains of the four deceased US hostages in exchange for a statement from the Trump Administration urging quiet in the region and a return to ceasefire negotiations.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said that Hamas’s claim to release Alexander was not made in good faith, and Trump administration Middle East envoy Steven Witkoff blasted Hamas for its “unrealistic demands” in exchange for the American captives.