Aviva Siegal has spent the past year fighting for the release of her husband, Keith, after she was freed in November 2023. Now, as he returns home after more than a year in Hamas captivity, he remains unaware that his son, whom he believed to be dead, is in fact alive.
His release marks a significant moment in the ongoing negotiations for hostages still held by the terrorist organization. Keith and Aviva Siegal, longtime residents of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, were abducted from their home on October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists launched a brutal attack on Israeli communities near the Gaza border. The couple was forced into their own vehicle and taken into the Gaza Strip. Aviva was released as part of a third round of hostage exchanges, but Keith had remained in captivity until Saturday.
Since her release, Aviva has spoken publicly about the torment hostages endure in Hamas captivity, describing the inhumane conditions and psychological trauma inflicted on those held underground in tunnels beneath Gaza. “We were moved between 13 different locations, both above and below ground, over the 51 days I was there,” she recalled in an interview with Israel Hayom. “In one instance, we were placed in a tunnel where there was no air. We couldn’t speak. We could barely breathe.”
Aviva described moments of sheer terror when she and Keith believed they would not survive. “I prayed I would die first so I wouldn’t have to see Keith die in front of me,” she said in a separate interview with KAN. “Every day was a fight for survival. There was no air, no light. We were buried alive.”
The couple had built their life together over four decades in Kfar Aza, where they raised their four children and welcomed five grandchildren. Their youngest daughter, Shir, previously described her parents’ love for the kibbutz, saying, “They moved there more than 40 years ago and fell in love with the place. It became their home, and they built their family there.”
Aviva’s release in November brought some relief to the family, but their struggle was far from over. For more than a year, she campaigned tirelessly for Keith’s return, participating in rallies, speaking before government officials, and calling on world leaders to secure the release of all hostages. She traveled abroad, meeting with US President Joe Biden and other high-level officials to press for more diplomatic efforts. “I will never stop fighting until all our people are home,” she declared at a rally in Tel Aviv earlier this year.
In the months following her release, Aviva also became a vocal advocate for the young women still held by Hamas. Speaking before the Knesset, she testified about the sexual abuse and physical violence endured by female hostages. “These girls were turned into puppets for their captors,” she said in an emotional address covered by Haaretz. “They were dressed in tight clothing, forced to endure humiliations no human being should ever suffer. We must not forget them.”
Physical and emotional scars
As Keith reunites with his family, their ordeal is far from over. The physical and emotional scars left by more than a year in captivity will take time to heal. “I am grateful beyond words that Keith is back,” Aviva said in a statement to Channel 12. “But our fight is not over. Too many are still there, living in the darkness, suffering the unimaginable. We must bring them all home.”
The circumstances surrounding Keith’s release remain unclear, with Israeli officials continuing negotiations to secure the return of other hostages. The Israeli government has vowed to intensify its military and diplomatic efforts to ensure that no Israeli citizen remains in Hamas captivity.
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,
‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘1730128020581377’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
