From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
US-Israeli former hostages Keith and Aviva Siegel to meet with Melania Trump tomorrow
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Keith and Aviva Siegel, an Israeli-American couple who were held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, are scheduled to meet with US First Lady Melania Trump tomorrow at the White House.
The Siegels met with US President Donald Trump last year, after Trump helped secure a ceasefire in early 2025 during which Keith Siegel was released.
The Siegels were each taken hostage during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack from their home in Kibbutz Aza. Aviva was released during a ceasefire in November 2023 and Keith was released more than a year later, in February 2025.
The announcement of the meeting, from Melania Trump’s office, notes that both Keith and Aviva were taken hostage, and says they will both be present at the conversation, but calls it a meeting between the first lady and Keith. The notes accompanying the announcement also appear to suggest that an earlier meeting between Aviva and the first lady played a part in Keith’s release.
“His liberation followed the First Lady’s meeting his wife, Aviva Siegel, which helped initiate the events, which ultimately secured his freedom,” the announcement says.
While US President Donald Trump’s team — which was about to take office when the January 2025 ceasefire began — has been credited for helping achieve the truce and hostage release along with the outgoing Biden administration, Melania has not previously been cited as having a role in the process.
The Times of Israel Community.