The assassination of conservative media personality and co-founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, 31, a husband and father of two, prompted a message of grief from the forum representing the 48 hostages still held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
"With deep sorrow, we mourn the loss of Charlie Kirk," the Hostages and Missing Family Forum said in a statement along with a video of Kirk in a message posted to their social media accounts.
"His powerful voice will always be remembered for standing with Israel and for supporting the hostages and their families," the statement read. "We are forever grateful for his unwavering solidarity."
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"Our hearts are with his loved ones during this painful time. May they find comfort in knowing how deeply his support was felt," the forum added.
Kirk garnered attention for his deep support for Israel and the hostages who have been held for 706 days following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on the Jewish nation.
Former hostages like Omer Shem Tov, who was released in February after more than 500 days in captivity, also released a message of grief on Wednesday and said, "Charlie Kirk, one of the strongest and bravest voices for Israel, was murdered today just for speaking his truth."
"We cannot let ourselves get used to this reality," he added.
Noa Argamani, who was also abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, before being rescued by Israel Defense Forces in June 2024, shared the news of Kirk's assassination on Instagram with the message "May his memory be a blessing."
Concern for the hostages has remained heightened after negotiations between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly failed to achieve major hostage exchanges since the first phase of an agreement ended in March, with the exception of American Edan Alexander, who was freed in May.
Just hours prior to the assassination of Kirk, President Donald Trump met with former hostages and the family members of current hostages still held by Hamas at the White House.
The meeting came just one day after Israel levied strikes in Doha, Qatar, on Hamas leadership in a move that drew international condemnation and prompted concern that it could further hinder negotiations to release the hostages, roughly 20 of whom are still assessed to be alive.
Qatar has been a key player in mediation attempts to end the war in Gaza and return the hostages, and 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.
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"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 has been granted to discuss the highly sensitive issue, added.
Trump condemned the strikes and said he was "very unhappy" about the incident, telling reporters that Israel did inform 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.
Six people were killed in the strike, including one Qatari security official, but Hamas has claimed that its leadership survived the attack, reported the BBC.
Qatar on Thursday announced it will now hold an emergency Arab-Islamic summit on Sunday and Monday to address the Israeli attack.
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Doha’s International Media Office on Thursday also rejected reports that the attack had caused friction between Qatar and the U.S., and said 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.
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