Aviva Siegel, a former Israeli hostage, has pleaded with international mediators to increase efforts to secure the release of her husband, who is still held captive by Hamas in Gaza.
Siegel herself was freed in November after enduring 51 days of captivity, but her husband Keith has been held for 193 days.
The couple was abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during a Hamas attack on Israeli communities near Gaza on October 7. The attack resulted in approximately 1,200 casualties and 250 hostages.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, Israel’s retaliatory campaign has led to the deaths of over 33,000 Palestinians.
Aviva Siegel expressed disbelief that her husband remains in captivity under harsh conditions, nearly five months after she last saw him in Gaza.
“I’m not speaking. I’m screaming and need help from the whole world to help take Keith out and all the hostages,” she said.
“I was there for 51 days. I know what it’s like and when I try and imagine Keith being thrown into the corner, on a mattress on the floor, with no human rights at all. It breaks my heart, and he’s not there for a day and not for two days. I’m back for nearly five months,” she said.
