Keith and Aviva Siegel advocate for hostages still held by Hamas

Keith Siegel, a Chapel Hill native, is just a month out of captivity by Hamas. Rather than focusing on recovery, he is actively meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and advocating for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages. On Thursday, Keith and his wife, Aviva, joined other former hostages and family members in a meeting with President Donald Trump to advocate for his continued leadership in getting the remaining 59 hostages home.

The Siegels were among the 253 hostages taken captive by the terror group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. Aviva was released 51 days later, but Keith was held in captivity for 484 days and released on Feb. 1, 2025 under the recently negotiated cease-fire deal. 

“I love country music, and I love pancakes on Saturday morning; but that was my previous life,” Siegel said in a video last month. “I was held for 484 days in unimaginable conditions. Every single day felt like it could be my last. President Trump, you are the reason I am home alive; you are the reason I was reunited with my beloved wife, four children, and five grandchildren. Thank you for your continued fight against terror and for your bold leadership that has brought me and many others back home to our families to safety and to security.”

He recently shared two video messages on the Hostages and Missing Families Forum’s Instagram account, calling for the release of the remaining hostages. This nonpartisan volunteer group was formed less than 24 hours after the Oct. 7 attack and is dedicated to securing the hostages’ release by any means available.

“We rejoice in Keith’s return, but we also weep for what he and his fellow hostages endured and for what the 59 remaining hostages and their families are still enduring,” said Sen. Ted Budd, R-NC, in a press release. “For 484 days, Keith’s family, particularly his wife Aviva, his children, siblings, family and friends, worked tirelessly to secure his release.”

Following the meeting with Trump, Budd hosted a bipartisan meeting between the former hostages and Sens. Joni Ernst, R-IA; Richard Blumenthal, D-CT; and Jackie Rosen, D-NV. 

“Our work is not over,” said Budd. “We must continue pressuring Hamas to release the remaining hostages in Gaza, especially the five Americans. I will continue working alongside my colleagues on a bipartisan basis, with President Trump, and with world leaders until all of the hostages are home and Hamas is destroyed.”

On Wednesday, Trump issued a “final warning” to Hamas. 

“‘Shalom Hamas’” means Hello and Goodbye – You can choose,” wrote Trump in a Truth Social post. “Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you. Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted! I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say. I have just met with your former Hostages whose lives you have destroyed. This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance. Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!”

According to reporting by TIME magazine, Hamas has dismissed the threats from Trump and will only agree to release the remaining hostages if the cease-fire in the Gaza Strip lasts. The agreement calls for negotiations of a second phase that would make the cease fire permanent, including Israel withdrawing from Gaza and releasing remaining hostages in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners.

TIME reports that Hamas has accused Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to back out of the agreements. Negotiation talks on phase two were set to begin in early February, but according to Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua, only limited preparatory talks have been held. Al-Qanoua said the negotiations phase is the “best path to free the remaining Israeli hostages.”

Of the 59 hostages still held by Hamas, 24 are believed to be living; the remaining bodies include 34 either killed during the attack or in captivity and the body of one soldier killed in 2014, according to TIME. During Phase 1, 25 hostages were released, as well as the bodies of eight others, in exchange for 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Under a new US plan for Phase 2, Hamas would release half of the hostages immediately and the rest once a permanent ceasefire has been negotiated. Israel supports the new plan, but Hamas has rejected it, saying they will stay with the January agreement. 

The post Keith and Aviva Siegel advocate for hostages still held by Hamas first appeared on Carolina Journal.