Middle East live updates: Siegel's family thanks Trump 'for bringing our father back'

The family of newly-released hostage Keith Siegel has released a statement, saying they are "filled with indescribable excitement" and thanked President Trump "for bringing our father back to us."

"At this very moment, our father is setting foot on the soil of the Land of Israel, and we are filled with indescribable excitement. Finally, after 484 long, terrifying days and nights, full of immense worry for our father, we can breathe again," the statement read.

"Thank you President Trump, for bringing our father back to us. There are now 79 hostages who are also waiting to be reunited with their loved ones. Our hope rests with you. We also wish to thank the governments of Israel and the United States for bringing this blessed deal to fruition—a deal that prioritizes human life and embodies Jewish and Israeli values."

"We are grateful to the incredible IDF soldiers and security forces who risk their lives and bodies, and we send our condolences to the bereaved families who have lost their most precious loved ones for the sake of us all," the statement continued. "You will forever be in our hearts. Only together can we bring everyone home!"

American Keith Siegel has been released from captivity Saturday morning.

His release took place in Gaza City where he was taken onto a stage wearing a cap, flanked by masked and armed Hamas forces with the waters of the Mediterranean and the destroyed port behind them.

A crowd watched calmly from a short distance away while Hamas photographers on stage and drones above filmed the release.

Siegel walked on his own power and he will now undergo medical checks before being reunited with his family shortly.

“According to information communicated by the Red Cross, one hostage was transferred to them, and they are on their way to IDF and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip,” read a joint statement from the IDF and the ISA.

Two returning hostages are currently being accompanied by IDF special forces and ISA forces on their return to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment.

"A short while ago, the returning civilian hostages, Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas, crossed the border into Israeli territory accompanied by IDF and ISA forces.," according to a joint IDF and ISA Announcement. "The returning civilian hostages are currently on their way to an initial reception point in southern Israel."

Thousands of Egyptians gathered on Friday near the Rafah border crossing to protest a proposal by President Donald Trump to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan, according to Egyptian media.

Thousands of protesters chanted slogans against the displacement of Palestinians and waved Egyptian and Palestinian flags near the border, local TV footage showed.

The area is highly secured and can only be accessed with a government escort.

Last week, Trump proposed a plan to "clean out" the war-torn Gaza Strip, and relocate its residents to Jordan and Egypt, an idea both countries have dismissed. Despite this, Trump insisted Thursday that the two states will ultimately take displaced Gazans.

"They will do it," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked for his response to the Egyptian and Jordanian refusal, and whether he would consider imposing tariffs on either country to push them.

"We do a lot for them, and they’re going to do it," Trump said.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi had said that the forced displacement of Palestinians is an "injustice that we can never take part in."

He said Egyptians would take to the streets to reject the relocation of Palestinians if he asked them about Trump’s proposal.

-ABC News' Ayat El-Tawy