An Israeli-American held hostage and then released by the Hamas terrorists thanked President Donald Trump for being "the reason I am home alive."
Keith Siegel, a 65-year-old raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was the first American hostage released Feb. 1 as part of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.
Siegel released a video Friday on the Instagram page Bring Them Home Now.
"President Trump, you are the reason I am home alive," Siegel says in the video. "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 brought me and many others back home to our families, to safety, and to security."
Siegel says Trump's "leadership and strength will ensure the agreement is honored by all sides."
"Mr. President, once again your leadership, power, and authority are necessary to enforce the ceasefire and put an end to the unnecessary daily dangers and to the lives of innocent hostages and civilians," he says while wearing eyeglasses and a blue fleece that displays a yellow ribbon. "Your leadership and strength will ensure the agreement is honored by all sides. That is what will allow all 76 hostages to return home to their families."
"I trust your strength and leadership, Mr. President. The helpless hostages in the dark, cold tunnels in Gaza also trust you. Please bring them home."
Taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, Siegel spend 484 days in captivity in Gaza.
"Every single day felt like it could be my last," he says in the video.
"When I was in Gaza, I lived in constant fear, fear for my life and my personal safety. I was starved and tortured both physically and emotionally. When the war intensified, the terrorists who held me treated me even worse than usual. The terrorists kicked me, spat on me, and held me with no water, no light, and no air to breathe.
Siegel moved to Israel as a young man where he met his wife, Aviva, WRAL reported. His wife was released in November 2023 during a temporary ceasefire deal.
The former hostage began his video by introducing himself.
"My name is Keith Siegel, and I am a 65-year-old American citizen,"he says. "I love country music, and I love pancakes on a Saturday morning."
"But that was my previous life. Since February 1st, I am a newly released Hamas hostage. I am a survivor."
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office confirmed on Friday that Sagui Dekel Chen, an Israeli-American, is among the hostages set to be released by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Saturday, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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