Hostage relatives meet Macron, press him to prioritize abductees’ release from Gaza

Relatives of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza met earlier today with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace, pressing him to place their loved ones’ release at the forefront of his diplomatic efforts, days ahead of his departure for the United Nations General Assembly.

“We urge decision-makers in Israel and around the world—no new chapter in the Middle East is possible without the return of all 48 hostages: the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for proper burial. This is the highest moral obligation.”

A delegation of hostage families… pic.twitter.com/T7dygAUPWn

— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) September 10, 2025

According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the meeting lasted about two hours, during which relatives of hostages Guy Gilboa Dalal, Guy Illouz, Nimrod Cohen and Evyatar David “described the dire situation of the hostages in captivity and the harrowing testimonies from survivors of captivity.”

“We urge decision-makers in Israel and around the world — no new chapter in the Middle East is possible without the return of all 48 hostages,” reads a statement from the forum following the meeting.

At the UNGA, Macron is spearheading an initiative with Western and regional partners to recognize a Palestinian state and advance the two-state solution as the only viable path out of the Gaza conflict.

Macron assured the relatives that the “hostages have been an inseparable part of his daily agenda” since their abduction on October 7, 2023, and “pledged that he remains aware of the supreme importance of their release with regard to ending the war,” according to the forum’s statement.

“Macron promised he would carry the families’ words with him on his way to New York, and that he hopes the war will soon end and all the hostages will return home,” the statement adds.

A separate group of hostage families met a short time ago with US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC.