The assassination of Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative media personality, co-founder of Turning Point USA, husband, and father of two, prompted an expression of grief on Thursday from the forum representing the 48 hostages still held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“With deep sorrow, we mourn the loss of Charlie Kirk,” the Hostages and Missing Family Forum stated in a message posted to their social media, which also included a video of Kirk.
The statement continued, “His powerful voice will always be remembered for standing with Israel and for supporting the hostages and their families. We are forever grateful for his unwavering solidarity.”
The forum added, “Our hearts are with his loved ones during this painful time. May they find comfort in knowing how deeply his support was felt.”
Kirk gained recognition for his staunch support for Israel and the hostages, who have been held for 706 days since the October 7, 2023, attacks on the Jewish nation.
Omer Shem Tov, a former hostage released in February after more than 500 days in captivity, also issued a message of grief on Wednesday, stating, “Charlie Kirk, one of the strongest and bravest voices for Israel, was murdered today just for speaking his truth.”
He further added, “We cannot let ourselves get used to this reality.”
Noa Argamani, who was also abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, before being rescued by Israel Defense Forces in June 2024, shared news of Kirk’s assassination on Instagram with the message “May his memory be a blessing.”
Concern for the hostages has remained elevated after negotiations between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly failed to achieve major hostage exchanges since the first phase of an agreement concluded in March, with the exception of American Edan Alexander, who was freed in May.
Just hours before Kirk’s assassination, President Trump met with former hostages and the family members of current hostages still held by Hamas at the White House.
This meeting took place a day after Israel carried out a strike targeting Hamas leadership in Doha, a move that drew international condemnation and raised concerns that it could further impede negotiations to release the hostages, approximately 20 of whom are still assessed to be alive.
Qatar has been a pivotal player in mediation attempts to end the war in Gaza and secure the return of the hostages. According to a senior Israeli source, the Hamas leadership targeted in the attack were in Doha to discuss negotiations following a proposal submitted by White House envoy Steve Witkoff just last week.
“If you bring all Hamas leaders together to discuss a hostage deal, then you try to kill them – who are you going to discuss a hostage deal with?” the senior source questioned in a comment to Fox News Digital. “And what does this mean about the possibility of a hostage deal in the near future, as we know they are dying down there?
“[What] most Israelis… care about most is not killing some monsters in Doha, but the return of the hostages,” the source, whose anonymity was granted to discuss the highly sensitive issue, added.
Trump expressed that he was “very unhappy” about the incident, telling reporters that Israel had informed the U.S. military of the strike, but it was “too late to stop the attack.”
“This was a decision made by [Israel’s] Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me,” Trump said.
The Associated Press reported that six people were killed in the strike, including one Qatari security official, but Hamas has claimed that its leadership survived the attack.
Qatar announced on Thursday that it would hold an emergency Arab-Islamic summit on Sunday and Monday to address the Israeli attack.
Doha’s International Media Office also rejected reports on Thursday that the attack had caused friction between Qatar and the U.S., stating that the “partnership is stronger than ever and continues to grow.”
“We will continue working together to promote global peace and stability,” the agency said in a statement.