Aviva Siegel, who was previously taken hostage and is married to Keith Siegel, an American-Israeli also held captive, shared her traumatic experience of torture at the hands of Hamas terrorists who took her and about 250 other Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023.
Speaking to Marc Beckman on the Some Future Day podcast, Siegel, 63, opened up about her harrowing ordeal. She was released during a temporary ceasefire in November, although the truce was later violated by Hamas. Her husband, Keith, remains one of the “American Seven” still being held in Gaza, with three believed to be alive.
Originally from South Africa, Siegel moved to Israel as a child. She met Keith, a student from North Carolina visiting Israel, and they quickly fell in love. He chose to stay in Israel, and together, they settled on a communal farm in southern Israel, Kibbutz Kfar Aza.
She recounted the terrifying moment on October 7 when the terrorists stormed their bomb shelter, shooting and injuring Keith. In the process of capturing him, they fractured his ribs before dragging them both to Gaza in his car.
Upon arriving in Gaza, the Siegel couple faced a disturbing sight. Crowds of locals, including women and children, cheered as the terrorists brought hostages from Israel. They were forced into a tunnel, where they later joined other captives, many of whom were injured. Over the course of their captivity, they were relocated 13 times. In one particular tunnel, Aviva thought they would perish from a lack of air. During this time, they were often deprived of food and water for days.
On one occasion, Siegel witnessed a Hamas terrorist molesting a female Israeli captive. She later learned that such incidents were common, though not always done openly. On another occasion, several Hamas members tied up a female hostage and subjected her to severe physical abuse. When the young girl returned, covered in wounds and crying, Siegel asked why she hadn’t screamed. The girl responded that she didn’t want to give the terrorists the satisfaction of hearing her pain.
Throughout their ordeal, Siegel and Keith had made a pact to stay strong for each other, with hopes of being reunited. She described the suffering they experienced as so severe that no one who truly understood it would have ever allowed them to remain in Gaza. While she had some hope that President-elect Donald Trump might secure the release of the hostages, Siegel emphasized her insistence on urging President Joe Biden to take action, fearing that waiting until January 20 could be too late.
{Matzav.com}