Freed Israeli Hostage Recounts 484-day Nightmare In Gaza
More than four months since his release from Gaza, former hostage Keith Siegel bears the mental scars of 484 days of captivity in destroyed buildings and tunnels in the hands of Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The 66-year-old Israeli-American and his wife Aviva were among 251 hostages seized from residential communities along the Gaza border, army bases and a music festival on October 7, 2023.
In a recent interview with AFP, Siegel told of physical and sexual abuse that he had experienced and witnessed in captivity, and of the extreme stress of not knowing if he would ever see his family again.
In one incident, he recalled how his captor, out of the blue, pulled out a gun and said: "I'm going to kill you now."
"Then he said, 'now you're dead' and laughed," added Siegel, wearing a t-shirt with the words "Bring them home now", a call to free the remaining 52 hostages still in Gaza after more than 20 months.
One of the locations where Siegel was held was so far underground that he was "gasping for breath", he recalled.
"It was the most horrendous, or one of the most horrendous, situations that I was in."
He was first held with his wife, then with other hostages, as well as spending many months alone.
In total, he was moved throughout the Gaza Strip around 33 times, hidden inside tunnels or in bombed-out buildings and private homes.
During the darkest moments, Siegel said he used mindfulness techniques to stay strong, having long, imaginary conversations with family and friends.
Throughout his ordeal, Siegel said he had focused on staying alive so he could see his wife, their four children and grandchildren.
"There were peaks of anxiety, fear and just the torture of not knowing, the uncertainty of not knowing," he said.
"I promised myself that I must return and was not able to think that I would not return. I think that gave me a lot of strength psychologically to get through the days."
Recounting some of the lowest points of his lengthy captivity, Siegel said one of his biggest fears initially was Hamas finding out that he was a US citizen, concerned that it could mean separating from his wife.
"At the very beginning, on October 7, they asked us all our names, our ages, where we're from, and if we have another nationality, citizenship... I said that I did not," he said.
"I was worried that they might release me (without Aviva), because I'm an American citizen."
She was released 51 days after the 2023 attack -- more than a year before he was, both under short-lived truce deals.
Siegel said he experienced taunts about his wife and daughter, and his genitalia, as well as extreme physical abuse that in two instances left him with broken ribs.
But it was witnessing the mistreatment of other hostages that made Siegel pause for breath during the interview and tear up.
"I witnessed a woman being tortured, literally," he said, describing it as "medieval-style torture".
"She was on her back, her hands were bound together, and also her feet, and they had put... tape, or a piece of material around her mouth so she couldn't talk," Siegel said.
"There was a man standing behind her with a metal rod that had a sharp point at the end of it and it was on this woman's forehead, and he was applying pressure."
Siegel did not name the woman, but his description matches an account given by released hostage Amit Soussana, in media interviews in which the 41-year-old lawyer said her captors had tried to make her confess to being an Israeli soldier.
For Siegel, having to watch the torture and being powerless to stop it still gives him "terrible thoughts".
"I just felt paralysed," he said.
Free now, Siegel remains fascinated with the departure "presents" handed over by his captors the day he left.
Inside a paper bag with a Hamas logo, there was a gold embossed "release certificate" signed by a commander from the group's military wing, two key rings with Palestinian flags, and a leather bracelet bearing the same flag.
Since returning home, he has become especially active in campaigning for the release of the remaining hostages.
Clutching posters of other captives he had spent extended periods of time with -- Matan Angrest, Omri Miran, and twins Gali and Ziv Berman -- Siegel called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump "to bring an end to the suffering, bring an end to the war and bring the hostages home". Since returning home, Keith Siegel has campaigned for the release of the remaining hostages AFP Siegel holds a certificate he received from the armed wing of Hamas on the day he was released from Gaza AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
2 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
At Least 20 Killed In Suicide Attack On Damascus Church
At least 20 people were killed Sunday in a suicide attack on a church in Damascus, authorities said, with Syria's interior ministry blaming a member of the Islamic State group. The United Nations condemned the attack, the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, and the first on a church since the country's civil war erupted in 2011. Security remains one of the greatest challenges for Syria's new authorities, whom the international community has repeatedly urged to protect minorities. The interior ministry said in a statement that "a suicide attacker affiliated with the Daesh (IS) terrorist group entered the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa area of the capital Damascus where he opened fire then blew himself up with an explosive belt". AFP correspondents saw first responders transporting people from the site, which was strewn with shattered wood from fittings and pews, with fallen icons and pools of blood seen on the floor. Security forces cordoned off the area. A health ministry statement carried by state news agency SANA said 20 people were killed and 52 wounded, raising an earlier civil defence toll. Bystander Lawrence Maamari told AFP that "someone entered (the church) from outside carrying a weapon" and began shooting, adding that people "tried to stop him before he blew himself up". United Nations special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen expressed "outrage at this heinous crime", calling in a statement for "a full investigation and action by the authorities". France's foreign ministry condemned an "abject, terrorist" attack, reiterating its commitment to "a transition in Syria that allows Syrians, whatever their religion, to live in peace and security in a free, united, pluralistic, prosperous, stable and sovereign" country. Syria's foreign ministry described the attack as "a desperate attempt to undermine national coexistence and to destabilise the country". Ziad, 40, said from a shop near the church that he heard gunfire then an explosion, and saw glass flying at him. "We saw fire in the church and the remains of wooden benches thrown all the way to the entrance," he said. The blast sparked panic and fear in the church, which had been full of worshippers including children and the elderly, an eyewitness told AFP, requesting anonymity. Several people were reported missing, with families searching desperately for their loved ones. Assad had painted himself as a protector of minorities, who during Syria's nearly 14-year civil war were targeted by numerous attacks, many claimed by jihadist groups including IS. After the new authorities took power, the international community and visiting envoys repeatedly urged the government to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria's transitional process, particularly after sectarian violence erupted in several parts of the country. Interior Minister Anas Khattab offered condolences for the victims and said that "specialised teams from the ministry have begun investigations into the circumstances of this reprehensible crime". "These terrorist acts will not stop the efforts of the Syrian state in achieving civil peace," Khattab said according to a statement. In an interview earlier this month, Khattab noted the security challenges facing Syria and said that IS had shifted "to studied attacks on strategic targets". He said IS had attempted "to carry out attacks against the Christian and Shiite community" that the authorities had thwarted. Last month, IS claimed its first attack on Syria's new government forces. Also last month, Syrian authorities said they arrested members of an IS cell near Damascus, accusing them of preparing attacks, while another anti-IS operation in the northern city of Aleppo saw the death of one security officer and three IS members. IS seized large swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory in the early years of the civil war, declaring a cross-border "caliphate" in 2014. US-backed Syria Kurdish forces defeated the proto-state in 2019, but the jihadists have maintained a presence, particularly in Syria's vast desert. The UN and France condemned the attack on the church, the first of its kind in the capital since the fall of Bashar al-Assad AFP Syria's foreign ministry described the attack as 'a desperate attempt to undermine national coexistence' AFP
DW
3 hours ago
- DW
Syria: Deadly blast hits church in Damascus – DW – 06/22/2025
At least 15 people were killed in an explosion by an apparent "Islamic State" suicide bomber at a church in the Syrian capital. A blast rocked the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Syria's capital, Damascus, on Sunday, according to witnesses. One witness told Reuters news agency that a suicide bomber detonated himself inside the church. Syrian state TV also reported that a suicide bomb caused the blast. "A suicide attacker detonates an explosive belt inside the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa area of Damascus," state TV reported. Correspondents for the AFP news agency at the scene said the church was damaged with shattered wood from fittings and pews, and pools of blood on the ground. Security sources said at least 15 people were killed, with the suicide bomber said to have been a member of the "Islamic State." The Interior Ministry added that the bomber entered the church, opened fire and then detonated an explosive vest. One security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two men were involved in the attack, including the one who blew himself up. A livestream from the site by Syria's civil defence, the White Helmets, showed scenes of destruction from within the church, including a bloodied floor and shattered church pews and masonry. The incident marks the first suicide bombing inside Damascus since Bashar al-Assad was toppled by an Islamist-led rebel insurgency in December. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the offensive against Assad beforetaking over in January for a transitional phase, has repeatedly said he will protect minorities during his tenure.
Int'l Business Times
18 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Freed Israeli Hostage Recounts 484-day Nightmare In Gaza
More than four months since his release from Gaza, former hostage Keith Siegel bears the mental scars of 484 days of captivity in destroyed buildings and tunnels in the hands of Palestinian militant group Hamas. The 66-year-old Israeli-American and his wife Aviva were among 251 hostages seized from residential communities along the Gaza border, army bases and a music festival on October 7, 2023. In a recent interview with AFP, Siegel told of physical and sexual abuse that he had experienced and witnessed in captivity, and of the extreme stress of not knowing if he would ever see his family again. In one incident, he recalled how his captor, out of the blue, pulled out a gun and said: "I'm going to kill you now." "Then he said, 'now you're dead' and laughed," added Siegel, wearing a t-shirt with the words "Bring them home now", a call to free the remaining 52 hostages still in Gaza after more than 20 months. One of the locations where Siegel was held was so far underground that he was "gasping for breath", he recalled. "It was the most horrendous, or one of the most horrendous, situations that I was in." He was first held with his wife, then with other hostages, as well as spending many months alone. In total, he was moved throughout the Gaza Strip around 33 times, hidden inside tunnels or in bombed-out buildings and private homes. During the darkest moments, Siegel said he used mindfulness techniques to stay strong, having long, imaginary conversations with family and friends. Throughout his ordeal, Siegel said he had focused on staying alive so he could see his wife, their four children and grandchildren. "There were peaks of anxiety, fear and just the torture of not knowing, the uncertainty of not knowing," he said. "I promised myself that I must return and was not able to think that I would not return. I think that gave me a lot of strength psychologically to get through the days." Recounting some of the lowest points of his lengthy captivity, Siegel said one of his biggest fears initially was Hamas finding out that he was a US citizen, concerned that it could mean separating from his wife. "At the very beginning, on October 7, they asked us all our names, our ages, where we're from, and if we have another nationality, citizenship... I said that I did not," he said. "I was worried that they might release me (without Aviva), because I'm an American citizen." She was released 51 days after the 2023 attack -- more than a year before he was, both under short-lived truce deals. Siegel said he experienced taunts about his wife and daughter, and his genitalia, as well as extreme physical abuse that in two instances left him with broken ribs. But it was witnessing the mistreatment of other hostages that made Siegel pause for breath during the interview and tear up. "I witnessed a woman being tortured, literally," he said, describing it as "medieval-style torture". "She was on her back, her hands were bound together, and also her feet, and they had put... tape, or a piece of material around her mouth so she couldn't talk," Siegel said. "There was a man standing behind her with a metal rod that had a sharp point at the end of it and it was on this woman's forehead, and he was applying pressure." Siegel did not name the woman, but his description matches an account given by released hostage Amit Soussana, in media interviews in which the 41-year-old lawyer said her captors had tried to make her confess to being an Israeli soldier. For Siegel, having to watch the torture and being powerless to stop it still gives him "terrible thoughts". "I just felt paralysed," he said. Free now, Siegel remains fascinated with the departure "presents" handed over by his captors the day he left. Inside a paper bag with a Hamas logo, there was a gold embossed "release certificate" signed by a commander from the group's military wing, two key rings with Palestinian flags, and a leather bracelet bearing the same flag. Since returning home, he has become especially active in campaigning for the release of the remaining hostages. Clutching posters of other captives he had spent extended periods of time with -- Matan Angrest, Omri Miran, and twins Gali and Ziv Berman -- Siegel called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump "to bring an end to the suffering, bring an end to the war and bring the hostages home". Since returning home, Keith Siegel has campaigned for the release of the remaining hostages AFP Siegel holds a certificate he received from the armed wing of Hamas on the day he was released from Gaza AFP
