Aviva and Keith Siegel, a couple kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023, have described the severe physical and psychological torture they endured during their 51 days of captivity in Gaza. Their account includes witnessing sexual assault, experiencing starvation, and facing constant threats.

Aviva Siegel, 65, recounted witnessing other female hostages being subjected to sexual abuse and severe beatings. "I'm a witness of all of the girls who were beaten up into pieces," she told the Daily Mail. "When one girl came back after the abuse, she was purple; I wanted to die."

Both Aviva and Keith, 67, described instances of humiliation and degradation. Hamas captors reportedly forced women to wear tight, ill-fitting clothing and shower naked in front of them. In one instance, a guard allegedly forced a young female hostage into oral sex. Keith Siegel detailed how captors would force him and other male hostages to strip in front of them, and how he was denied basic human rights, including food and water, leading to significant weight loss. He lost approximately 35 kg (77 lbs) during his captivity, while Aviva lost 10 kg (22 lbs).

Kidnapping and Initial Captivity

The couple was violently abducted from their safe room by 10 to 15 Hamas militants. During the kidnapping, Keith suffered broken ribs, and Aviva sustained a torn knee meniscus. Keith was also shot in the arm as they were forced out of their home. Upon arrival in Gaza, they were separated by gender in terms of dress, with Aviva told to wear a hijab and Keith put in a robe.

They were initially held together, but Aviva expressed constant fear for her husband's well-being in the cramped and oxygen-deprived tunnel network. "After a couple of days, Keith looked at me and said he couldn't breathe, because there was a lack of oxygen," she recalled. "I couldn't breathe myself, and I remember trying to figure out what was happening, or if we were just going to die."

Aviva described a need to disconnect mentally from her surroundings to cope with the trauma. "If she allowed herself to feel, the visceral urge to take her own life would become overwhelming," the report states. She added, "Because to see the girls being beaten, or Keith being threatened, or Keith being starved – and falling when he wanted to get up to the bathroom, because he was so weak – and all those things... I wanted to die. I just wanted to die."

Testimonies of Abuse

Both Aviva and Keith testified before the United Nations Committee against Torture about the systematic abuse. Keith told the panel that his captors compared intimate parts of himself and another hostage, threatened them with knives, and made them beg to use the bathroom. He also described being subjected to mocking by young terrorists who shaved his body.

Aviva recounted the trauma of seeing a 16-year-old hostage sexually assaulted. "The Hamas terrorist just stood there and stared at her, and smiled. I remember looking at her while she came out of there. She was shocked, I was shocked," she said.

Keith also detailed how the treatment worsened after the temporary ceasefire collapsed on December 1, 2023, leading to renewed Israeli bombardment. "Then the terrorists became even more cruel, more violent, and the treatment was much worse," he stated. He described being spat on and kicked by captors.

Extended Captivity and Release

Aviva was released after 51 days as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and the U.S., alongside 13 other Israeli hostages and three foreign nationals. Keith remained in captivity for an additional 484 days.

During his extended imprisonment, Keith was moved to approximately 30 different locations within the Gaza Strip and encountered about 60 different Hamas members. For six months, he was held in complete isolation. To maintain his sanity, he tried to learn Arabic and engaged his captors with polite greetings, a strategy he hoped would make his environment more bearable and highlight his humanity. In one instance, a guard seemingly taught him Islamic prayers, only for Keith to defiantly state, "No, I'm not a Muslim, I'm a Jew."

Hygiene was severely limited, with Keith describing around 25 instances of using a bucket of water and a cup for what he described as a "ritual" rather than a shower. He also recounted the extreme difficulty of sharing a single toilet with other hostages and captors, often having to beg to use it and holding on for as long as possible to avoid angering his captors.

By the end of his nearly 500 days in captivity, Keith feared he was too weak to crawl out of the tunnels. He was handed over to the Red Cross on February 1, 2025, and reunited with Aviva and their four children. The couple, originally from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where 64 residents were killed and 19 taken hostage on October 7, have stated they will not return to their decimated community.