Former hostage Keith Siegel spoke at the Limmud Festival in Britain, saying that part of his “happiness and freedom has been taken away," reported the Jewish News.
Speaking alongside his wife Aviva, he said that since returning home after 484 days in captivity, his overriding mission has been to end the suffering of those still held captive.
“I’m here, and I’m alive," he said, as quoted by the Jewish News. “But part of my happiness and freedom has been taken away. My greatest priority is to bring all the hostages home."
Hamas continues to hold the body of hostage Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage.
Keith and Aviva were abducted from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Hamas‑led attacks of October 7, 2023. Aviva was released after 51 days in captivity, while Keith was held for 484 days before being freed in February 2025.
Aviva described how, on the morning of October 7, armed terrorists entered their home and forced them outside. During the abduction, she said, Keith fell and broke his ribs as they were pushed toward a waiting vehicle.
Keith recounted being driven across the border, transferred between cars, and taken underground into a tunnel accessed from inside a residential building. He said they were held with other abductees, some injured and bleeding, guarded by armed terrorists who appeared calm and celebratory.
After Aviva’s release, Keith endured long periods alone, including confinement in a school building and later in small, dark rooms. He described verbal abuse, spitting, physical violence, and the psychological strain of prolonged uncertainty. “Not knowing when or if I would ever come home was one of the hardest things to deal with," he said.
Keith added that four things helped him survive: his family; a renewed Jewish identity and faith; gratitude; and mindfulness.
Aviva described living in constant fear underground, barely sleeping during her 51 days in Gaza. To calm herself, she counted numbers, recited children’s songs, and mentally revisited her kindergarten classroom. At night, she held the hands of fellow captives so she would not feel alone. She recalled Keith reassuring her during bombardments: “It’s far - you’re not the target."
Aviva added, “On [October] the 7th, just like you, everything changed. Our lives changed. Unfortunately, we were taken to Gaza. But I want to say that my family, my kids, my grandchildren could hardly understand what's happening to them while we were there in Gaza. I remember myself saying maybe a thousand times, ‘What am I doing in Gaza?’"
Recalling an incident in which a terrorist handcuffed one of the other hostages with a zip tie, and accidentally cutting him in the head when doing so, Aviva said, “I said to myself, ‘You're going to go through worse’. And every time it happened, and it happened all the time, I just say to myself, ‘Good for you that you thought about it… you're going to go through worse times.’"
Keith described the day of his release, saying he knew his family was watching him on camera. “I wanted them to see that I was okay," he said. After being taken to an army base, he received clean clothes and showered properly for the first time in 484 days. “I scrubbed myself three times," he said, wanting to be clean before embracing his family.
Neither Keith nor Aviva expected to become public figures, but Keith said speaking publicly now feels unavoidable. He said he remains in close contact with families of hostages he met in Gaza.
Aviva closed the session with a plea not to look away. “We have to keep hope," she said. “That’s what gives us strength. That togetherness matters to us as Jews."