First on Fox – Aviva Siegel, the wife of American hostage Keith Siegel and a former hostage herself, is pleading with everyone involved in hostage negotiations to free her husband and others from Hamas captivity, as they spend more than 440 days in captivity . conditions.
“Hamas released a video of Keith, and I just saw the picture,” Aviva told Fox News Digital in an emotional interview in reference to a Hamas video released in April. “He looks terrible. His bones are exposed, and you can see he’s lost a lot of weight.”
“He doesn’t look like himself. And I’m very worried about him, because he is.” [many] It’s been days and minutes since we got that video,” she said. “I don’t know what kind of Keith we’re going to get back.”
Keith Samuel Siegel, 64, is being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza (Mortgage Family Forum)
7 US hostages still held by Hamas terrorists, families plead for their release: ‘It is urgent’
Aviva said, “I am concerned about all the hostages, because the situation they are in is the worst that any human being can go through.” “I was there. I touched death. I know what it feels like to live underground with no oxygen.”
“Keith and I were left there. We were left there to die,” he said.
Aviva and her 42-year-old husband were brutally abducted from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Azza by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and held together for 51 days, before being released as hostage in November 2023. Had gone. She became incredibly ill with a stomach infection.
Since then she has fought tirelessly for Keith’s release, meeting with top officials in the US and Israel, traveling to the United States nine times in the last year and becoming a prominent advocate for the hostages.
Aviva said, “I just hope he’s with other people in Israel, and if he’s with them, he’ll be OK.” “He’s a guy who will make them feel like they belong together. That’s what he did when I was there – he was 100% there for me and the hostages that were with us.”
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL – MARCH 30: Released hostage Aviva Siegel, wife of hostage Keith Siegel, speaks during the final weekly ‘Bring Them Home Now’ rally in Tel Aviv, Israel on March 30, 2024. According to the Families of Hostage Forum, this will be the last week when a rally will be held at ‘Hostage Square’ saying that the government is not serious about negotiations and instead protests will be held in front of the Knesset from now on. (Photo by Alexey Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
He said, “If you get kidnapped, get kidnapped with Keith, because he was excellent to everybody. He was strong for all of us. And I’m sure he’s strong and has hope of coming out.” Used to be.”
Aviva, recalling their last moments before their separation, told Fox News Digital before her release, “When I left him, I told him to be the strongest he could be – that he needed to be strong for me, and I will be strong for me.” Him.”
The Palestinian Authority is under pressure amid increasing resistance and popularity of Iran-backed terrorist groups.
Top security officials from the US, Egypt and Qatar are pressuring Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and the return of hostages.
Reports on Thursday showed that negotiators were pushing for a 42-day ceasefire, with 34 of the at least 50 hostages still alive believed to be swapped.
At least 38 people are believed to be held by Hamas who were taken hostage and then killed in captivity, with at least seven people believed to have died on October 7, 2023. Was killed and then taken to Gaza.
Although all hostages were believed to be kept in deplorable conditions, children, women – including female IDF soldiers – the sick and the elderly were reportedly listed first to be freed in exchange for currently imprisoned Hamas militants. Is.
“I’m keeping my hope up and just waiting – waiting to hug Keith, and waiting for all the families to come back,” Aviva said. “We need to get them back.”
Aviva said she dreams of the moment she gets to hug her husband again and see her grandchildren “jump into her arms.”
He said, “We will be the happiest people on earth.” “All the hostages, I can’t imagine them returning home. This would be the happiest moment for all the families. We need this to happen.”
Reports in recent weeks suggest there has been a sense of optimism in bringing hostages home, but Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged some caution while speaking with MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Thursday when he said, “We Encouraged because it should happen, and it should happen because Hamas is at the point where it thought the cavalry is not coming to the rescue, [Hezbollah’s] Not coming to the rescue, [Iran’s] Not coming to the rescue.”
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“In the absence of that, I think there is pressure on Hamas to ultimately say yes,” he said. “But look, I think we also have to be very realistic. We’ve had Lucious and football moments many times over the last months, where we thought we were there, and the football goes away.
Blinken said, “The real question is, is Hamas capable of making a decision and saying yes? We are working with every possible partner on this to try to put the necessary pressure on Hamas to say yes.”
