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Transcript: Hanna Siegel on “Face the Nation,” April 28, 2024
The following is a transcript of an interview with Hanna Siegel, whose uncle Keith Siegel is being held hostage by Hamas, that aired on April 28, 2024.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We are joined now by Hanna Siegel, whose uncle, Keith Siegel, is one of those American hostages. Good morning to you, Hanna.
HANNA SIEGEL: Good morning, Margaret. Thank you for having me.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Thank you for speaking to us. I know that the Biden administration has reached out to you and your family. The FBI is analyzing that video released yesterday. What stood out to you? I think this is the first proof of life so far?
HANNA SIEGEL: We- we’ve always believed that he’s alive, we have to believe that he’s alive. And his wife, my aunt, Aviva Siegel, who was held for 52 days, released in the deal that took place in November, she was with him. And so we knew when she came out, she told us that he was alive. But this is the first time that we’re seeing him, that we’re hearing him. It’s- it’s surreal.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And you have 205 there. That’s the number of days he has been held. In the video, your uncle, under duress, mentions the protests that have been taking place in Israel, pressuring the government for a deal. Do you think that a deal can be reached at this point, and is it up to the United States to close it?
HANNA SIEGEL: I do think a deal can be reached. I mean, we- we know that. A deal was reached in November. Dozens of women and children were released, including my aunt, Aviva Siegel. So we know that it’s possible. And I do think that’s really important to remember. The United States plays a critical role. It played a critical role in November. I think, you know, ultimately, this is a negotiation between Hamas and Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel. And one of the things that really worries my family, and worries me, is that it’s arguably not in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s political interest to close a deal. And, you know, for us, this is the moment. These videos- as you know, there was a video released a couple of days ago of another American hostage, Hersh Goldberg-Polin. I do think that these two videos are a signal from Hamas that they are ready to make a deal and a reminder that there are American citizens being held, including- including Keith.
MARGARET BRENNAN: There are 133 hostages that we know of, five of them Americans. Why do you believe it is not in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s interest to cut a deal to bring them home?
HANNA SIEGEL: I think, you know, there is a lot swirling in the political landscape in Israel. And I’m not here to talk about that. But there have been negotiations going on for months now. We’re at 205 days. There have been deals on the table. And they’ve proven elusive. And I worry that that is because of Prime Minister Netanyahu. So I think that now is the moment. I think- I have faith that we can do a deal now. But I also think that if that isn’t possible, then the Biden administration should think about what they can do directly to bring our American citizens home.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Secretary of State Antony Blinken is flying to the region now and is going to talk about a ceasefire and a hostage deal. Do you know if the Biden administration is considering making a deal to bring the Americans home without the Israeli government’s approval or role here?
HANNA SIEGEL: I don’t know.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But you want them to look at that option?
HANNA SIEGEL: What I know is that the Biden administration has shown unwavering and relentless commitment to my family and the families of all of the hostages. And I know that it is their priority to bring all hostages, including the Americans, home. And so I know that they are doing absolutely everything that they can. Keith in this video, I mean, he starts the video by saying how much he loves us. He loves our family. And he’s obviously under duress. He’s gaunt. He looks weak. But that’s real. I know that he misses his family. He talks about, you know, I think the hardest part of the video is he breaks down talking about being alone on Passover. Those of us Siegels in America got together for Passover and those in Israel got together for Passover. And we had- we had this little picture of Keith at the table, but he’s not home. And so I have such faith, and I have felt the commitment from the Biden administration, to get him back.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Keith’s daughter sent a recorded message to protesters who were in the streets in Israel last night and she said, “I demand the country’s leaders watch the video and see their father crying for help.” Hamas released this as propaganda. Why do you think watching that video is important? What- what do you think is not understood by the government?
HANNA SIEGEL: First of all, my cousins, Keith’s kids and his wife, of course a hostage survivor herself, are incredibly brave and they have spent every single day going to anybody who will listen around the world and telling them, reminding them, that there are people’s lives at stake. I think there’s so much swirling in the political realm that it’s easy to forget that these are human beings. Keith is a grandfather. He’s a husband, he’s a brother. He’s an uncle. We’re a very, very close family. And that’s what we’re feeling, more than any of the political considerations, more than thinking about the day after and what happens. Those are really, really important questions. But I think this video is a reminder that these are human beings and they need to come home.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The U.S. says Hamas is standing in the way of a deal. Are you concerned that if an invasion of southern Gaza, of Rafah, happens, that your uncle will be at risk of death?
HANNA SIEGEL: Very concerned. I mean he- he talks in the video about bomb- hearing bombs all around him. And so we worry about the fact that he’s being held underground by a terrorist group, of course. We worry about the fact that he’s starving. When Aviva came out, she talked to us about how they were beginning to starve. And I can’t imagine that that hasn’t gotten so much worse. You can see it on his face. And we also worry about the bombs going off around him.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Of course. Of course. Hanna, thank you for reminding us about the humanity here. And we wish you luck.
HANNA SIEGEL: Thank you so much for having me.
Three people were killed and eight were injured during a shooting at a trail ride in Holmes County, Mississippi.
The shooting occurred around midnight on Saturday on Highway 17 North, according to CBS affiliate WJTV.
Holmes County Sheriff Willie March said several people went on a trail ride after homecoming for Holmes County Consolidated Schools, WJTV reported. March said an argument took place between young men before the shooting occurred.
Suspects are being sought in the shooting, the sheriff said.
The three victims were identified as Martel Gibson, 25, of Durant; Shundra Chestnut, 19, of Kosciusko; and John Jenkins, 19, of Durant.
Holmes County is about 70 miles north of Jackson, the state capital.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is assisting in this case, a spokesperson confirmed to CBS News on Saturday.
CBS News was told that no further updates will be provided until Monday.
It’s usually a serene two-and-a-half-hour ride on Japan’s famously efficient bullet train. But the journey quickly descended into a zombie apocalypse, with passengers screaming in terror.
Organizers of Saturday’s adrenaline-filled trip, less than two weeks before Halloween, touted it as the “world’s first haunted house experience on a running shinkansen.”
Aboard a chartered car of the shinkansen — the Japanese word for bullet train — were around 40 thrill-seekers, ready to brave an encounter with the living dead between Tokyo and the western metropolis of Osaka.
PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images
The eerie experience was inspired by the hit 2016 South Korean action-horror movie “Train to Busan”, in which a father and daughter trapped on a moving train battle zombies hungry for human flesh.
All seemed normal at first as the bullet train made a peaceful departure Saturday evening, but it wasn’t long until the first gory attack.
The victims — actors planted in seats by the organizers — jerked in agony and then underwent a terrifying transformation before starting a rampage against their fellow passengers.
Event organizer Kenta Iwana of the group Kowagarasetai, which translates to the “scare squad”, said they wanted to “depict the normally safe, peaceful shinkansen — something we take for granted — collapsing in the blink of an eye”.
PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images
Sitting next to one of the actors was Joshua Payne, one of many foreign tourists on board.
“I literally felt like I was in the film, just sitting here watching it take place in front of me,” the 31-year-old American told AFP.
“The fact that we can physically go from Tokyo to Osaka right now and have this whole performance at the same time… I think is really cool and maybe a little bit groundbreaking,” he said.
It was far from Central Japan Railway Company’s first experiment with the usually dazzlingly clean, accident-free shinkansen, a Japanese institution that turned 60 this year.
After demand for long-distance travel plunged during the COVID-19 pandemic, the railway operator started renting out bullet train compartments for special events to diversify its business.
A sushi restaurant, a bar and even a wrestling match have been hosted on the high-speed train, and carriages can also be reserved for private parties.
PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images
Marie Izumi of JR Central’s tourism subsidiary told AFP that she was surprised by the idea for a zombie-themed commute when Kowagarasetai approached her, thinking it would be “almost impossible to pull off”.
But the event has convinced her of “new possibilities” for the bullet train, Izumi said, adding that concerts and comedy shows might be a good fit in the future.
On Saturday, toy chainsaws and guns were used as props, but depictions of extreme violence and gore that could tarnish the shinkansen’s squeaky-clean reputation were avoided.
To counterbalance the subdued horror, the two-and-a-half-hour tour was peppered with light-hearted performances by zombie cheerleaders, magicians and comedians, including a choreographed dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”.
“Nobody wants to sit tight for such a long time being constantly exposed to horror,” said Ayaka Imaide from Kowagarasetai.
Many aboard the zombie-infested train said the experience alone was worth the ticket price of up to 50,000 yen ($335).
“It was very immersive,” Naohiko Nozawa, 30, told AFP. “And the appearance of so many different kinds of zombies kept me entertained all the way.”
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