Former Hamas hostages recall horrific torture in Gaza as they call for remaining captives freedom at NYC Israel Day parade
A pair of freed Israeli hostages recalled the torture they and others endured in Gaza as they joined the thousands marching at New York City’s Israel Day parade on Sunday.Keith and Aviva Siegel joined chants from the attendees on Fifth Avenue demanding the remaining 58 hostages in Gaza be freed during the annual parade.
US-Israel dual citizen Keith Siegel, 66 — who was held captive for 484 days before being freed in February — said there can be no time to waste in freeing the hostages, given the horrors he endured and witnessed inside Hamas’ tunnel network.“I experienced abuse of many different kinds,” Siegel said, alluding to his days spent shuffling around in dark tunnels and being deprived of food.“I witnessed the abuse and the literal torture of other hostages that I saw, including women.I witnessed sexual abuse,” he added.“I witnessed violence and humiliation and starvation and dehydration, being held in terrible conditions, not being able to clean my body for weeks at a time.”Despite the horrors in Gaza and the kidnappings on Oct.
7, which also saw 64 of his neighbors slain, Siegel considers himself “a very lucky man” for surviving and being able to advocate for his fellow captives.“We have lives that we can save, we must save them,” he told the crowd on Fifth Avenue.“I feel terrible that I was released and they were left behind.
I am doing anything that I can possibly do to bring them back home.”Aviva, who was freed in November 2023, described “being in captivity underground and touching death” as “one of the worst things that anyone can go through.” “They have to all come home, all the 58 hostages in Gaza.They deserve a better life…We need to, as humans, push and scream for them, because they can’t,” she added.The Siegels’ plea was echoed by the thousands attending the parade who waved Israeli flags as they chanted “Bring them home” and “Hamas gotta go.”Along with the former hostages, wounded Isra...