U.S. President Donald J. Trump met Thursday with a group of freed Israeli hostages and their loved ones at the White House, praising the survivors as “heroes” and vowing continued support for efforts to return remaining captives held in Gaza.

Trump met with 17 former hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas and released last month, as well as family members of several others. During the gathering, the president presented the survivors with a Presidential Challenge Coin, calling their release “a moment of national pride.”

The event came as Trump expressed gratitude to organizations representing families of the captives, after supporters nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in efforts to help secure hostage releases.

His mother told Israeli media earlier that her son endured “very severe torture” early in his captivity because he was a soldier.

The Hostages Families Forum said the gesture was made “in gratitude for actions taken toward their release.”

The pair also delivered a handwritten letter to Trump, calling the mezuzah “a symbol of protection and faith” salvaged from the devastation in their community, which suffered some of the deadliest attacks during the Hamas-led massacres of October 7, 2023.