My husband is a Hamas hostage — after two years, Trump has given me hope

Two years ago my life and the lives of millions of Israelis changed forever.

I was at home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz with my husband Omri and our two little girls, Roni and Alma, when Hamas terrorists stormed our community and many others across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

They held us captive inside our own home, and later with other members of the kibbutz. They livestreamed their depravity on Facebook for the world to witness.

It was hours of terror, hearing gunfire, explosions and screams from neighbors, until soldiers finally arrived to rescue us.

We survived. But Omri was taken.

For two years, my daughters have gone to sleep without their father’s voice to wish them goodnight.

For two years, I have awakened every morning not knowing where my husband is or the agonies he is enduring as a hostage.

The sounds of that day, of doors breaking, bullets flying and fear filling every corner, never leave me.

Yet what hurts even more is the silence that followed.

The world moved on faster than any of us imagined it could, even though countless supporters worldwide have given us the strength to endure — and to demand justice for our loved ones in captivity.

This week, I chose not to commemorate the anniversary at home.

Instead, I came to Washington, DC, because the pain of waiting must be transformed into action at the most crucial point of this crisis.

Behind every hostage’s name there is a story, a face, a family and a country still waiting.

So every policymaker and every decision-maker must hear directly from those of us who survived Oct. 7, and who live with this nightmare every day.

Over the past weeks, I have witnessed something I thought was impossible: momentum.

The outlines of a deal that could finally end this horror are within reach.

It could bring Omri and all 48 remaining hostages home.

It could end the war, disarm and disband Hamas and give both Israelis and Gazans a chance to heal and rebuild.

I know these negotiations are complicated and fragile, but I also know that leadership is measured by the courage to do the impossible.

President Donald Trump has shown that courage.

His administration opened its doors to us, the families of the hostages, and treated our pain as a moral call to action, not a talking point.

He has stood firm in insisting that the release of all hostages must come before any discussion of permanent arrangements — and for that, I am deeply grateful.

If this deal succeeds, it will not only bring my husband home: It will also restore hope to an entire region.

It will prove that even the darkest moments of human cruelty can be answered with moral clarity and determination.

And yes, if President Trump delivers this deal, he will have achieved what so many others have failed to do: making peace out of the ashes of hatred — a deed deserving nothing less than the Nobel Peace Prize.

However, hope must not close our eyes to reality.

Hamas has violated agreements before, using every pause to regroup, rearm and deceive.

The Trump plan makes one thing clear: Hamas must release all hostages within 72 hours of signing the agreement.

That condition must be enforced above all else, because there is no time to waste.

The conditions of Omri’s captivity are unbearable, marked by darkness, hunger, torture and fear. Every hour that passes risks more lives.

As I walk the halls of power in Washington this week, I carry with me the voices of the families of the 48 remaining hostages still waiting for their miracle.

We do not come as politicians. We come as mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers, as people who believe that humanity’s truest test is whether we fight for one another’s freedom.

I hope to have the honor of meeting the president during my time in Washington — to bear witness as a wife and mother who has lived through hell and still dares to believe in redemption.

And I pray that by the time my flight lands back in Israel, I will be on my way with Roni and Alma to hug Omri once again — not in my dreams but in reality.

Two years have already stolen too much. Even one more day is too long.

It is time for them all to come home.

Lishay Miran-Lavi is the wife of Omri Miran, who was kidnapped on Oct. 7 and is being held hostage in Gaza.