Melania Trump Holds Private Meeting with Freed American-Israeli Hostage Keith Siegel

The first lady credits her efforts for helping secure his release.

First Lady Melania Trump, Keith Siegel (L) and Aviva Siegel (R) hold hands during a meeting in the Blue Room of the White House on February 4, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Keith Siegel, a U.S. citizen, was freed from Hamas captivity on February 1, 2025, after spending 484 days in captivity. Aviva Siegel, his wife, was also held captive and released in November 2023. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

First Lady Melania Trump on Wednesday met privately with freed American-Israeli hostages Keith Siegel and his wife, Aviva, in the White House. The meeting comes more than a year after the first lady sat down with Aviva Siegel in January 2025 in New York City, a meeting, according to the White House, that sparked a series of events that ultimately led to Keith Siegel’s release from Hamas.

Mrs. Trump hosted the couple in the Blue Room where Keith Siegel shared his appreciation for the effort the first lady and the president made for his safe return upon his release in February 2025.

“I was …