From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Melania Trump hosts Aviva and Keith Siegel who thank her for helping secure hostages’ release
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US First Lady Melania Trump hosts former Hamas hostages Aviva and Keith Siegel at the White House, where the American-Israeli couple thanks the administration of US President Donald Trump for its efforts to secure the release of all captives from Gaza.
In remarks to the press, Melania recalls her first meeting with Aviva in January 2025, when Keith was still held captive, during which Aviva described the hostages’ plight and presented two handbooks about Keith as a gift.
The first lady says she gave the two books to her husband and shared with him Siegel’s story.
Melania touts the Siegels’ courage and expresses her joy that they were both freed.
Holding back tears, Keith tells the first lady that he is “eternally grateful” to her and Trump for bringing about his release.
Keith says that since regaining freedom, he has committed himself to helping others, partnering with the Israeli global humanitarian organization IsraAid, which last week took him and Aviva to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, where the group is providing access to clean water, hygiene, sanitation and education to thousands of refugees.
He goes on to congratulate Melania on the release of her new documentary and thanks her for including an appearance from Aviva about the pair’s meeting in New York in January 2025.
Aviva shares that she’s writing a book about her experience in captivity in which she made a point of thanking Melania for her involvement in the hostages’ release.
The Times of Israel Community.