Hamas’ brutality haunts freed Israeli-American hostage

WASHINGTON — Two years after Hamas terrorists kidnapped Israeli-American Keith Siegel from his home, he spoke publicly about the 484 days he was held hostage in a dark underground tunnel, where he was regularly beaten and starved.

“The brutality we endured still haunts me,” the former hostage said during a Tuesday vigil hosted at the Kennedy Center in recognition of the two-year anniversary of the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, as well as the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

In addition to Siegel, other former hostages and family members of those who are still being held captive by Hamas gathered at the “Sukkah of Hope,” a temporary structure that the Hostages and Missing Families Forum helped create. 

Celebrations of the seven-day Jewish holiday of Sukkot typically involve constructing a hut, known as a “Sukkah,” eating meals inside the structure, and sometimes even sleeping in it to commemorate the Israelites’ 40-year journey through the desert after their exodus from Egypt. 

“The images of medieval torture, the echoes of suffering, they do not fade,” Siegel told event attendees. 

“We were trapped in suffocating tunnels, left alone, 130 feet underground. We were starved, denied water, beaten, held in unbearable conditions, forced to make propaganda videos and pressured to convert to Islam,” the freed Israeli-American hostage added. 

Siegel, who was born in California and raised in North Carolina, moved to Israel in the 1980s, eventually establishing a home for himself at Kfar Aza, a kibbutz in southern Israel. Together, he and his wife, Aviva Siegel, have four children and five grandchildren. 

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas invaded the kibbutz and kidnapped Siegel and his wife during the terror group’s attack in southern Israel that resulted in the massacre of at least 1,200 people and the abduction of over 240 others. 

“The terrorists who captured Aviva and me, both in our 60s, held absolute power over our lives,” Siegel said during the Tuesday vigil, remembering how his captors used weapons and constantly threatened to kill him and the other hostages to control them through fear.

“As a 65-year-old man, I knew how vulnerable I was,” he said. 

After enduring 51 days in captivity, Aviva was released during a temporary ceasefire in November 2023, and Keith initially believed that the same would happen for him, allowing himself to hope for the first time that he would see his family again. 

The ceasefire collapsed, however, and the father of four remained in Gaza as a hostage. After nearly 500 days in captivity, Siegel was one of three hostages released as part of a deal at the beginning of February.

“I am here standing in front of you today as the result of a life-saving agreement. That agreement was secured through leaders who made it a priority — President Trump and the U. S. administration,” Siegel added. 

“For the past two years, the amazing community in the U.S. has worked tirelessly to amplify our cause through rallies, events, gatherings, prayers, advocacy, and making sure the world does not forget about the hostages,” he continued. 

Following his release from captivity, Siegel said he has made it his life’s mission to advocate for the return of the remaining hostages. 

“When I was finally released, I fulfilled my promise to Aviva and my family to survive,” Siegel stated, emphasizing that efforts to bring the hostages home must continue. 

“They are in a life-threatening situation, they are suffering, and we could lose them at any moment,” he warned. 

Also during Tuesday’s event, the family of Omer Neutra, an American-Israeli citizen and IDF soldier whose body is still being held by Hamas, said a prayer for the hostages in Gaza. Omer’s parents — Orna and Ronen — initially believed that Hamas had taken their son hostage, and they advocated for his freedom for a little over a year. 

“It took 421 days for us to find out that Omer didn’t survive the attack and probably died in captivity the same day,” Ronen said.

The parents have continued advocating for the release of their son’s remains so they can give him a proper burial, as well as the safe return of the hostages who continue to be held against their will in Gaza. 

“Grant them a healing of the body and a healing of the soul,” Omer’s mother prayed, referring to the hostages who are alive. 

“And for those declared deceased, return them to their families so that they may be given a proper and dignified burial,” she added. “Do not let them remain buried in a tunnel in Gaza.”

On the same day as the event, President Donald Trump issued a letter to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum after the group submitted a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The letter supported awarding Trump the Nobel Peace Prize, praising his dedication to securing the hostages’ freedom and establishing peace in the Middle East. 

“Since the abhorrent events of October 7, 2023, that saw families ripped apart, children torn from their parents’ arms, and innocent people shot, killed and raped, I have been resolved to returning all the hostages home, and ensuring the total destruction of Hamas so these horrific acts may never be repeated,” Trump’s letter states. 

“These unspeakable scenes have been seared into our memories, and we will never forget,” the president continued. 

In a Sunday post on his Truth social page, Trump said “very positive discussions” had occurred between Hamas and Arab and Muslim countries, despite the terror group not agreeing to each of Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan.

On Wednesday, the president announced on social media that Israel and Hamas both signed off on the first phase of the peace plan. 

“This means that ALL of the hostages will be released very soon and Israel will withdraw their troops to an agreed-upon line as the first steps toward a strong, durable, and everlasting peace,” Trump stated.

Of the 48 hostages still in captivity, 20 of them are believed to still be alive. 

“This is a GREAT day for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel, and all surrounding nations, and the United States,” the president continued. “We thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey who worked with us to make this historic and unprecedented event happen.”

 “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”