GEOFF BENNETT: President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu met for talks today that focused on hammering out a second phase of the cease-fire and hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas.

AMNA NAWAZ: Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to visit the White House since Trump's second term began.

The two leaders also discussed the future of Gaza, which Trump has said might need to be emptied of its population, a potential war crime, since Israel's campaign to destroy Hamas has also destroyed much of the enclave.

President Trump spoke in the Oval Office.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: You can't live in Gaza right now, and I think we need another location.

We can build them through a massive amount of money supplied by other people, very rich nations.

One of the countries, and it could be Jordan, and it could be Egypt, it could be other countries.

And you could build four or five or six areas.

I mean, we're talking about probably 1.7 million people, 1.7 million, maybe 1.8 million.

But I think all of them, I think they will be resettled.

GEOFF BENNETT: Under the terms of the current cease-fire, Hamas is supposed to release 33 hostages in exchange for Israel releasing around 1,900 Palestinians.

AMNA NAWAZ: Let's turn now to the story of one of the American hostages who was released.

This past Saturday, Keith Siegel was brought on stage in Gaza City and paraded in front of a crowd.

He held two small bags, waved to the crowd and was quickly escorted away.

He had been held hostage by Hamas for 484 days.

Keith was reunited with his family, including his wife, Aviva, both of whom had been kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Gaza, during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

Aviva was released in November of 2023 during a weeklong cease-fire.

I spoke a short time ago with Keith Siegel's niece Hanna.

Hanna Siegel, welcome back to the "News Hour."

Good to see you.

HANNA SIEGEL, Niece of Former Hamas Hostage: Thank you so much for having me.

AMNA NAWAZ: So you saw that video there of your uncle being released, being paraded out like that.

Just what was it like for you to see that, to know he was still alive in that moment, and to know he was finally going to be free?

HANNA SIEGEL: I don't have any words.

It was completely surreal.

I think we have been waiting, inching towards this moment.

There have been many, not many, but there have been several moments over the past 15 months where we thought maybe we were close to a deal, and then it wouldn't happen.

So seeing him up there, he looked a little thin and a little pale, but, mostly, I mean, I saw my uncle.

He looked like himself, and it was just a huge sense of relief.

AMNA NAWAZ: How is he doing today?

Have you been able to speak with him directly?

HANNA SIEGEL: He is doing -- I mean, I can't believe it.

He's doing remarkably well.

He's talking and he's sharing a lot.

He remembers everything.

And he -- I mean, it's kind of amazing.

He used a lot of mental tricks to keep himself sane.

AMNA NAWAZ: Mental tricks.

HANNA SIEGEL: He spoke to the family in his head a lot, and he always knew the dates, remembered, thought about anniversaries, thought about birthdays, like, really showed remarkable mental fortitude and sort of taught himself to survive.

It's incredible.

He's doing -- I mean, he's home, and he took a walk on the beach today.

AMNA NAWAZ: Has he shared anything with you about his time in captivity that surprised you, that you hadn't heard in news reports?

HANNA SIEGEL: You know, I have heard some.

I haven't heard a lot.

I know that it was horrific.

I mean, I know this from my aunt Aviva, his wife, who was in captivity.

I think it was awful.

I -- yes, it's very dark.

AMNA NAWAZ: We know, of course, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is here in Washington as we speak.

And previously, when we have spoken, you have mentioned, your aunt has also said to me when we spoke, you expressed some doubt that he was incentivized fully to stop the war in Gaza, to have a cease-fire and bring the hostages home.

Do you believe that your uncle could have been freed sooner than he was, 484 days, or was it always going to take this long?

HANNA SIEGEL: Yes, I mean, I'm obviously not privy to all of the ins and outs, but I know that this deal was available a long time ago.

And I do think that Prime Minister Netanyahu was an impediment to getting him home sooner.

As ecstatic as we are that he's here, it took a really long time.

And there are a lot of people still being held.

I worry that Prime Minister Netanyahu's incentives and the way that he's thinking about this haven't changed.

There have been reports in Israeli media that he is thinking about changing up the leadership of Shin Bet and Mossad, other entities in the Israeli government that are essential to negotiations.

Doing that in the middle of the deal, in the middle as things are moving forward hopefully towards peace, could endanger that, could jeopardize that peace.

And so, yes, I'm very worried.

And I'm counting on the Trump team to push him on this.

And I think they will.

AMNA NAWAZ: Your uncle was also released into really a sea of Hamas fighters when they paraded him out in that way.

It says in many ways that Hamas still has a presence, a very strong one there, could still be a threat.

Do you think that's a reason for Israel to continue to prosecute a war there?

HANNA SIEGEL: I think what we have seen over the past 15 months is there's only one path forward, and that's through diplomacy and political agreement.

First of all, all of the hostages need to come home.

There has been so much endless and unjustifiable violence in the last year-and-a-half.

And I know I speak for the other families of hostages and hostage survivors when I say that we don't condone any of that.

We need everybody home.

We need a cease-fire.

We need a path forward to peace in the region.

Diplomacy is the only way.

AMNA NAWAZ: Your uncle and aunt, of course, called that border region with Gaza home for those many, many years.

Will they go back, do you believe, and what do you think they want to see, what do you want to see in the community across the border from them in Gaza?

HANNA SIEGEL: Yes, I mean, it's a good question.

Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Gaza, their home for so many years, I mean, we -- I grew up visiting Kfar Aza, Gaza -- is decimated right now.

And so will they ever be able to go back?

Will that community be able to rebuild?

I don't know the answer to that.

Not right now.

They're there with their children in the north.

I think my family in Israel has long been involved in peace activism, facilitating dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis, working towards peace in the region.

That's what we have always wanted.

That's what so many people around the world, that's what we have seen these past months, want.

And so we think that the cease-fire deal is the first step towards that, but it has to continue.

AMNA NAWAZ: Your uncle is now free.

Your aunt has been free.

I know you haven't had a chance to see them, but you're planning too soon.

HANNA SIEGEL: Yes.

(CROSSTALK) AMNA NAWAZ: They have a long road ahead, obviously.

But what do you hope to tell them and say to them when you finally get to see them?

HANNA SIEGEL: I mean, I want to give them the biggest, biggest hugs.

I want to tell them and I want to thank the people who got us here, like I said, the Biden team and the Trump team, but also NGOs who work on behalf of families.

There's one called Global Reach, Mickey Bergman, Eric Lebson, and Stacia George.

Keith would not be home without them, the Qataris.

Actually, Aviva bought a journal and had world leaders and people working on his release and supporting his release all over the world write notes to him throughout the last year, so that he could see how the world was rooting for him and rooting for us.

AMNA NAWAZ: Hanna Siegel, thank you so much for being here, for sharing the stories of Keith and his wife, Aviva, both of whom are now free.

We're so glad to hear it.

Nice to see you.

HANNA SIEGEL: Thank you, Amna.