President Donald Trump’s potential peace plan for Gaza has given Israelis renewed hope that the war against Hamas soon will end and hostages will be returned, one relative of a captive “very carefully” told Newsmax on Tuesday.
Dalia Kushnir, who has endured the agony of having two family members taken hostage — one released and another still captive — said on Newsmax’s “Wake Up America” that her family has refused to stay silent since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
“We chose to use all the strength and power and everything we can,” Kushnir told co-hosts Sharla McBride and Marc Lotter. “We understand that the only future for Israel is if we bring back all the hostages … [one] was released thanks to President Trump. And now we know and trust him that he’s going to finish the job and bring the rest of the 48 hostages back home, hopefully this week.”
While cautious, Kushnir said there is a tangible sense of optimism in Israel.
“I’m saying it very carefully, because we’ve been there so many times,” she said. “But there is hope around. You walk around the street and you feel this kind of energy … everyone is holding and trying really not to smile yet and not to say anything. But we do feel it’s coming close.”
Kushnir credited Trump’s engagement and relationships in the region for making this round of negotiations feel different.
“We felt President Trump’s commitment since he entered office,” she said, noting that her brother-in-law, a former Hamas hostage, has met with Trump multiple times. “We see a plan that is talking about the day after … Trump has brought so many Arab leaders and countries around the table to talk about the day after.”
For Kushnir, the hope extends beyond the hostages’ release.
“It’s not only a ceasefire deal,” she said. “It’s also a chance to live in peace in the future. I love living in Israel, and the only way we can have a future for Israel is if we do a peace agreement that will allow us and the people of Gaza to dream of better days.”
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