4 February 2026 00:00 UTC · The White House · White House Statement · Source · Email X Link

The White House says Melania Trump met freed hostage

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Melania Trump met Keith Siegel at the White House
Aviva Siegel credits her January 2025 meeting as a catalyst for his release

TL;DR

First Lady Melania Trump met freed American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel at the White House today.
Aviva Siegel says her January 2025 meeting with Mrs. Trump catalyzed events leading to Keith Siegel’s release; Aviva gifted a handmade book that Mrs. Trump shared with President Trump.
Keith Siegel expressed gratitude to the First Lady and to the President for efforts to secure the hostages' return.

Original text

First Lady Melania Trump engaged in a private meeting with freed American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel in the White House today. The First Lady’s sit-down with Aviva Siegel in January 2025 sparked a series of events that ultimately led to Keith Siegel’s liberation from Hamas. “That first meeting with Aviva Siegel served as a catalyst to the events leading up to Keith’s freedom. It was clear that day in New York City that Aviva Siegel’s human spirit would move mountains to rescue her husband, Keith,” exclaimed First Lady Melania Trump. “I was deeply moved to hear from the First Lady about the meetings she held with my wife, Aviva, while I was in captivity, and about the strength and support she gave to the families of the hostages throughout that difficult journey,” Keith Siegel asserted. Aviva Siegel also participated in today’s White House meeting, saying: “I want to express my deepest gratitude to First Lady Melania Trump. Meeting again today feels profoundly full circle… I am endlessly grateful for Mrs. Trump’s steadfast support over these painful two years.” During their initial encounter, Aviva Siegel gifted Mrs. Trump a handmade book about her husband Keith Siegel and the brutal events surrounding October 7, 2023. First Lady Melania Trump shared the handmade book and Keith Siegel’s story with President Trump later that evening in January 2025. Keith Siegel further shared, “I am grateful to the First Lady and to the President for their tremendous efforts to secure the return of the hostages, and my own return.”

The White House says Melania Trump met freed hostage

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