It’s a long way from the hellhole of Hamas captivity to center stage with President Donald Trump in Washington, but former hostage Keith Siegel’s message wasn’t long at all.
The Israeli-American, who spent nearly 500 days as a prisoner of the savage terrorist group after its 2023 invasion of Israel, joined Trump on Tuesday at a National Republican Congressional Committee event to deliver his thanks.
And his quiet dignity, compared to the leftist rabble that support Hamas on supposedly “elite” college campuses and in the most contemptible quarters of the Democratic Party, was a moment all Americans need to see.
MUST WATCH: “I am here and I am alive. President Trump, you saved my life. You saved the life of 33 hostages because of your efforts.” pic.twitter.com/znhgp0t4sP
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 9, 2025
“I’m here, and I’m alive,” Siegel said. “President Trump, you saved my life. You saved the lives of 33 hostages.”
Siegel was joined onstage with his wife, Aviva Siegel, herself a former Hamas hostage, and Iair Horn, a freed hostage whose brother Eitan remains in captivity, according to The Times of Israel.
“Among all of the enormous issues and things that you are dealing with since you came into your position as president of the United States, you set the hostage crisis at the highest priority. You got 33 of us home alive. We all owe our lives to you.”
Powerful moment. No media spin can erase that kind of gratitude. Results speak louder than critics ever will.
— Tiago (@thenamestiago) April 9, 2025
The “33” referred to the hostages released during a cease-fire deal that was reached between Israel and Hamas after Trump took office, according to The Times of Israel.
Siegel, who is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, according to WHNS in Greenville, spent 484 days in Hamas’ hands before being released Feb. 8.
The cease-fire deal has since collapsed, leading to renewed fighting as Israel attempts to free remaining hostages and exterminate the terrorist organization.
Aviva Siegel also thanked Trump and implored his help in bringing the remaining Israeli hostages home from Hamas confinement.
Speaking after the Siegels, Horn used vivid language to describe his experience.
“I’ve been in hell for 498 days,” he told the audience, as Trump looked on. “I’ve been in hell with Hamas terrorists.”
Those terrorists attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, a sudden blitzkrieg of barbarism that resulted in the single most murderous day for world Jewry since the Holocaust. Normal people don’t find it hard to pick a side between murdering, rapist savages and civilized cultures, but, clearly, American progressives and leftist Democrats aren’t normal people.
The response of former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to the Hamas attack on Israel alternated between tepid and disgraceful.
Is the Trump administration making progress toward establishing peace in the Middle East?
Under election-year pressure to appease the leftist wing of the Democratic Party (and placate Muslim voters in Michigan) the Biden administration openly bullied Israel’s government to protect Hamas from righteous retaliation.
Apparently, even the hostages in captivity knew that. And knew things would change after the presidential election. (In a fitting reward for craven politics, as Biden’s successor, Harris ended up losing Michigan anyway.)
“When we heard President Trump get elected, we knew, we knew, there is now someone who makes the things happen,” Horn said.
He apologized for his broken English, but his message could not be misunderstood:
“We are here because of President Trump,” he said. “Thank you.”
He also asked for Trump’s help in freeing the remaining hostages, including his brother — possibly in time to celebrate the feast of Passover.
This is the true impact of President Trump’s leadership, he doesn’t just talk, he acts. His actions saved countless lives and brought people home. It’s moments like these that prove Trump’s unwavering commitment to protecting Americans and their allies, no matter the cost.
— Trump Gunner (@KingLagoswa) April 9, 2025
It was a moment to remember that the victims of Hamas terrorism are real people, whose suffering is an ongoing tragedy — while Democrats coddle Hamas supporters in the U.S.
And it was a reminder that no matter how far Trump has come after less than three months in office, when it comes to repairing the damage of four years of the Biden-Harris administration, there’s still a long, long way to go.
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