Keith Siegel, an Israeli American hailing from North Carolina, recently recounted his harrowing ordeal of being held hostage in Gaza for 484 days. Siegel was among a group of approximately 250 individuals kidnapped during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which instigated a brutal conflict with Israel.
The conditions of captivity were described as nightmarish — scarce food, limited water, and the constant threat of violent retribution. In one particularly chilling incident, Siegel was forced to witness what he called a "medieval-style" trial by torture, where captors beat a female hostage in an effort to extract a confession. He was coerced into participating, being ordered to threaten the victim with continued torture until she complied.
Siegel's traumatic story is just a fragment of the agony shared by many who endured similar horrors. He was freed on February 1, 2025, as part of a short-lived cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. However, even after his release, he shared the distressing news that 59 hostages remain in Gaza, with Israeli officials fearing many of them may not have survived their ordeal.
