UN’s Guterres Pledges New Role for Hostage Situations, Says Gaza Needs ‘Flood’ of Aid


Israel – Jerusalem Post, May 23, 2025

The Hostage Families Forum met with Guterres on Thursday to discuss the issue of returning hostages held captive by terrorists in Gaza.
The Hostage Families Forum on Thursday met with the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, who committed to appointing a “dedicated official to coordinate the UN’s response to hostage situations worldwide,” the forum announced on Friday.

This addresses “a gap that families say has left them without proper institutional support,” the forum added.

The new official will coordinate the UN’s “legal and institutional response to hostage-taking and serve as a central contact point for governments, UN agencies, and affected families,” the forum stated.
Notable participants from the Hostage Families Forum’s delegation included Orna and Ronen Neutra, parents of murdered Israeli-American Gaza hostage Omer, whose body remains in Gaza, and Shelly Aviv Yeini, Head of the Forum’s International Legal Department.

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