Aviva Siegel and her husband Keith, a 65-year-old Chapel Hill native, were taken hostage by Hamas on Oct 7, along with more than 200 other hostages, during the attack on Israel. More than one year later, Keith Samuel Siegel remains in captivity along with 100 other hostages. 

“I want to tell Trump that he can save them,” Aviva recently told Fox News. “They deserve to come out of hell.” 

In early December, President-elect Donald Trump said that there would be “hell to pay” if the remaining hostages were not released before he takes office on Jan 20, according to Reuters.

“I want to tell everybody that the 7 of Oct was against America too because 46 Americans were murdered that day,” said Aviva.

The hostages in Gaza have received renewed attention following the Israeli Ministry of Health recently submitting a report to the UN that details the torture that Hamas has been inflicting upon the hostages. 

“We have been exposed to the horrors and appalling conditions that the released hostages endured, as well as the profound suffering of those who were murdered in captivity,” said Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, head of the medical directorate of the ministry of health. “Not a day passes without my thoughts being with the immense hardships faced by those who have been released and those still held in captivity. The severe physical and mental states of the released hostages provide the world with a glimpse into the widespread atrocities committed by Hamas. Based on the testimonies we have received, I can confidently state that the physical and mental condition of all hostages still held in Gaza is dire. It is imperative that all efforts be made to act and bring them back. Without the release of the hostages, families and communities will be unable to heal and return to their daily routines.”

Aviva addressed the report, saying that she went through most of those things herself or saw them happen.

“I want to just tell you that what came out, most of the things I went through too,” said Aviva. “So it’s true, I was there; I felt it; I saw it. I was there.” 

She was released from captivity on Nov 26th, 2023, and ever since, she has been fighting for the release of her husband, Keith, and the remaining hostages. Aviva spent 51 days in captivity, according to an AP report. She was moved 13 times and held in underground tunnels and militants’ homes. While in captivity, she brushed her teeth and washed herself only four times in salt water. Aviva is a 63-year-old grandmother. She was yanked by the hair, pushed, and shoved into vehicles by her captors.  

“They treated me like I was not a human being,” she said, telling Fox News that she had an infection when released from captivity. 

She shared about her experience in captivity and how she watched captors break the ribs of her husband Keith, rape young women, cut the hostage’s skin on their hands, pour hot water on hostages, and do other acts of torture. 

“Keith is the most sweetest, loving person on earth,” said Aviva of her husband. “He is very proud to be American and he is waiting to get out of Gaza. He is there suffering underneath the ground in the worst conditions that anybody could ever handle.” 

The hostages remaining in Gaza have been held in captivity in underground tunnels for more than 450 days. 

Aviva’s full interview with Fox News can be watched here.