Released hostage Keith Seigel participated today (Tuesday) in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee discussion and tearfully shared the enormous difficulties faced by the hostages in Gaza.
"I came here to talk about the hardship there and to illustrate as much as I can the suffering of the fifty hostages still there. I was there for 484 days, they have been there for 641 days. It is very difficult to describe in words the suffering they endure. I was held with Omri Miran, who has a wife and two young daughters; the isolation from the family is torturing in itself, not to mention the violence and abuse."
"They threatened to kill me several times, even put a gun to my head. I also saw hostages who experienced very severe violence and threats of being killed. I witnessed a female hostage who underwent severe torture; they placed a sharp rod on her forehead, and a gun to her head. These sights haunt me to this day and it is becoming increasingly difficult. Although I returned physically, part of me stayed in Gaza, with Omri and Gali and Ziv Berman. They suffer every minute. They were separated in captivity, injured. Their father Doron is in very poor medical condition," Seigel described.
He added "I was also with Matan Angrest, who was seriously injured during the October 7th massacre and still carries the wounds that have not healed to this day. We had to ask and beg to go to the bathroom, we experienced abuse and violence. Matan was also in the tunnels, suffered from respiratory issues there. To keep him alive so that they could trade him, they took him out of the tunnel."
"Matan fought to protect my kibbutz during the massacre and we must fight to bring him and all the others back. The missing might disappear if we don’t bring them back, every minute is critical. I call on the Prime Minister and President Trump to do this urgently."