First American Hostage Freed By Hamas

Hamas on Saturday released Keith Siegel, the first hostage with U.S. citizenship to be freed as part of the cease-fire agreement brokered earlier this year.

Siegel is an Israeli-American from North Carolina and was released with two other Israeli hostages as part of the fourth exchange of the cease-fire, after being held in Gaza for nearly 500 days.

Siegel’s family thanked President Donald Trump “for bringing” Siegel back, saying in a statement released by the Hostage Families Forum that "our hope rests with you.”

The cease-fire deal was secured in the final hours of former President Joe Biden’s time in office, but Trump has repeatedly emphasized that it was his administration that put pressure on Hamas and Israel to bring the deal to a close.

Aviva Siegel, Keith Siegel’s wife who was also held captive until Nov. 2023, said in an interview with POLITICO in December that conditions were worsening for hostages like her husband. “I went through hell, and they are going through hell,” she said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt applauded Siegel’s release, saying in a statement that the Trump administration had “worked diligently to secure their release and are committed to freeing all remaining hostages.”

And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X that “I cannot wait to see Keith home at last. I won’t stop working until all the hostages are home.”