Freed hostage Aviva Siegel first met with first lady Melania Trump in January 2025. The two met again at the White House on Wednesday, but this time Siegel’s husband, Keith, joined them.
The Siegels flanked the U.S. first lady at the White House as they thanked her.
“I am eternally grateful to you and President Trump for bringing me home and for bringing all of the hostages back to their families,” Keith told the first lady.
Residents of Kibbutz Aza, the Siegels were among more than 200 people whom Hamas took hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. She was released 51 days later during a short-lived ceasefire. He didn’t gain his freedom until last February, after 484 days in captivity.
“After Aviva was freed, she called me, wanted to see me, and we set up a meeting in New York in January 2025,” Melania Trump said about the meeting, which was included in a 2026 documentary just released about the first lady. “Aviva was a warrior. She is a warrior. She was fighting very hard for Keith, and I know he suffered a lot.”
Aviva Siegel had brought a handmade book about Oct. 7 and her husband. She gave it to the first lady later, who shared it with her husband, U.S. President Donald Trump.
In the movie, Aviva broke down crying, and the first lady comforted her and promised to pray for her husband. “I will always use my influence and power to fight for those in need,” the first lady said in the movie.
Keith Siegel eventually was freed as well, and the couple publicly thanked the president and first lady for their efforts in securing the release of all of the hostages.
“I want to thank you for being a very compassionate person for supporting and helping Aviva,” Keith Siegel said at the White House, his voice halting at times.
“During those difficult days, you helped her enormously in many ways,” he said. “It’s an honor and a privilege, and I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to say that to you in person, sitting next to you.”
He also mentioned what he called “the extraordinary mobilization in Aviva’s and mine and all of the hostages’ freedom and how it moved me deeply.”
“It showed us the true meaning of holding onto hope even in the most difficult moment,” he said.
Aviva Siegel said this was an appropriate time to thank the first lady once again for her support.
“I just want to say that I waited for the last hostage to come home to thank you,” she said. “Because when we met before Keith came home, you gave me so much hope, and I can feel your heart with me. And I knew how important it was for you to go back home and talk to President Trump and share your feelings.”
“Bringing the hostages home was the most important thing that I could think about in this world,” she said. “And thank you, Keith, for staying alive and being with me.”
The Siegels are working with an Israeli humanitarian-aid organization and just returned from a refugee camp in Kenya.
“Giving back is a crucial part of my recovery and rehabilitation process,” Keith Siegel said. “We have a mission ahead of us to help others that are struggling. This is our new mission in life. This is the road we are on. This is our journey.”
