Before her release from Gaza last week, Emily Damari made a heartfelt request to her captors: she asked that her neighbor, Keith Siegel, be freed instead of her.
This was reported by Israeli media on Friday, five days after Damari’s release and just before the second wave of Israeli hostages was expected to be freed from Gaza. Siegel, 65, and Damari were both captured on October 7, 2023, by Hamas terrorists in Kfar Aza, a small kibbutz in southern Israel with around 760 residents. Damari, 28, is the same age as one of Siegel’s four children. Siegel’s wife, Aviva, was also taken captive but was released in November 2023 as part of a temporary ceasefire.
According to the report, which first aired on Israel’s Channel 12, Damari’s request was denied. As part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, a schedule for the release of 33 hostages, most of whom are alive, was established over a six-week period. The schedule dictates that women be released first, followed by older and sick men, including Siegel.
The report also hints that some of the hostages are being kept together, offering new evidence that Siegel is still alive in Gaza. Siegel, an immigrant from the United States, appeared in a hostage video released by Hamas in April. His mother passed away in December in North Carolina, where he was raised.
Since her release, Damari has become a prominent figure in Israel. She returned with bandages wrapped around her hand, which had been injured in captivity, causing it to resemble the “rock on” emoji. Keith Siegel’s daughter, Shir, was among those waiting for Damari as she returned to Israel. Later that night, Shir posted on Instagram, expressing her joy: “I am speechless. … My sister is home. I hugged her. It’s real. She came back to us. Thank God.”
{Matzav.com Israel}