FBI examining hostage video that appears to show American Keith Siegel, White House says
A video purporting to show American Keith Siegel and an Israeli citizen being held hostage by Hamas terrorists is being examined by the FBI and the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, the White House said Sunday.
The video was released on Telegram on Saturday by Hamas and appears to show 64-year-old Siegel and 47-year-old Omri Miran, an Israeli citizen from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, as they speak to the camera under duress.
The men express how much they miss their families and their sadness at missing Passover celebrations. They also ask their families to continue to pressure the Israeli government for a deal.
In response to the video, Siegel's wife and daughters released a video statement.
"Seeing my father today only emphasizes to all of us how much we must reach a deal as soon as possible and bring everyone home. I demand that the leaders of this country watch this video and see their father crying out for help," one of Siegel's daughters, Ilan, said in the video statement.
Siegel's wife, Aviva Siegel, who was also taken hostage and released during the first cease-fire and hostage deal in November, told her husband in the video statement, "Keith, I love you, we will fight until you return."
Shir Siegel, another daughter of the hostage, added, "If you watched the video, you saw that my father knows we are all coming to the rally every week and fighting for him and all the captives. Thank you for being with us. We will not stop fighting together."
-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart