Aviva and Keith Siegel, a couple kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, have shared harrowing accounts of their time as hostages in Gaza. Their ordeal, which lasted 51 days for Aviva and 484 days for Keith, included severe starvation, physical torture, and witnessing sexual assaults against other female hostages.
Aviva Siegel described the psychological torment of seeing young women return from captivity “beaten up into pieces” and sexually assaulted. "I wanted to die," she stated, recalling one instance where a girl, returning bruised and bleeding, was subjected to abuse while Aviva watched. She also recounted instances where female hostages were forced to wear revealing clothing and shower in front of their captors, with one guard allegedly forcing a young girl into oral sex.
Keith Siegel, 67, described persistent feelings of uncleanness and an obsessive need to shower, stemming from his time in the underground tunnel network. "I even think, to this day, that I haven't been able to get rid of some of it. I sometimes have weird thoughts about not being clean," he said.
Kidnapping and Initial Captivity
The couple's ordeal began when Hamas gunmen stormed their home in northern Israel on the morning of October 7. They were violently dragged from their safe room, sustaining injuries during the abduction. Keith suffered broken ribs, and Aviva tore the meniscus in her knee. Keith was also shot in the arm while being taken to a vehicle.
Once in Gaza, the Siegels were separated by clothing – Aviva was made to wear a hijab, and Keith a robe. They were initially kept together, but Aviva lived in constant fear of her husband's death due to the lack of oxygen in the tunnels. "After a couple of days, Keith looked at me and said he couldn't breathe, because there was a lack of oxygen," she recalled. She described a dissociative state as a coping mechanism, stating, "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."
Testimony to UN Committee
The couple testified before the United Nations Committee against Torture in November 2023, detailing systematic sexual abuse and torture. Keith Siegel told the panel he was denied basic human rights, starved, and forced to strip in front of young terrorists who shaved his body. Aviva recounted the trauma of witnessing a 16-year-old female hostage being sexually assaulted by a Hamas terrorist.
Intensified Cruelty
Keith Siegel noted that the treatment by their captors worsened after the temporary ceasefire collapsed on December 1, 2023, leading to renewed Israeli bombardment of the enclave. "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 guards.
During their captivity, the Siegels were subjected to severe food deprivation. Keith lost approximately 35kg, while Aviva lost 10kg. Their captors, however, reportedly consumed food in front of them, seemingly indifferent to their suffering.
Aviva was released after 51 days as part of a temporary ceasefire deal. Keith remained in captivity for an additional 14 months. During his extended detention, he was moved to approximately 30 different locations and encountered around 60 different captors. For six months, he was held in complete isolation.
Daily Struggles and Hope for Humanity
In isolation, Keith attempted to maintain his sanity by observing his surroundings and trying to learn Arabic. He would greet his captors and thank them for basic necessities like food and permission to use the toilet, hoping to foster a sense of shared humanity. This tactic led to one guard mockingly reciting the Shahada, a declaration of faith in Islam, to him. Keith responded by asserting his Jewish identity.
Hygiene was a significant challenge. Keith described having only about 25 opportunities for what he termed a "bucket of water and a cup" over his entire captivity. He also detailed the difficulties of sharing a single toilet with other hostages and captors, often having to endure extreme discomfort to avoid angering his guards.
By the end of his nearly 500 days in captivity, Keith expressed concerns about his physical weakness, fearing he might be too frail to crawl out of the tunnels.
On February 1, 2025, Keith Siegel was handed over to the Red Cross and reunited with Aviva and their four children. However, the family will not return to Kibbutz Kfar Aza, a community devastated by the October 7 attacks, where 64 residents were killed and 19 taken hostage. Aviva, a former kindergarten teacher, reflected on the loss of their community and home, stating, "We lost our community. We lost that home... When I'm sitting in this house, it's a home, it's got walls, but I'm not there yet."