Israeli hostage survivor recounts Gaza captivity on Oct. 7 anniversary
Freed Israeli hostage Aviva Siegel — interviewed by Fox News on the two‑year anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack — described being shot, taken into underground captivity, starved and moved multiple times in Gaza and pleaded for the remaining hostages’ return. The piece cites casualty and hostage tallies (more than 1,200 Israelis killed, 251 initially taken; 48 still held, about 20 believed alive) and notes Aviva was held 51 days while her husband Keith endured roughly 484 days in captivity.
International
War & Conflict
📌 Key Facts
- Aviva Siegel was held for 51 days after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks; her husband Keith was held for about 484 days.
- Fox News reports the Oct. 7 attackers killed more than 1,200 Israelis and initially took 251 hostages; 48 remain in Gaza and roughly 20 are believed to be alive.
- Siegel provides on‑the‑record, graphic first‑person descriptions of being shot at kidnapping, confined underground, witnessing abuse of other captives, and severe malnutrition during captivity.
📚 Contextual Background
- When the leadership echelon of an armed group is degraded or communications are disrupted, decentralized or multiple armed actors can complicate centralized control and communication, which can make coordinated, full hostage releases difficult and lead to staged or phased releases as logistics permit.
- A 2025 U.S. peace plan linked a hostage release to a reciprocal exchange involving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
- U.S. officials in 2025 described a two-phase approach to ceasefire negotiations in which an initial hostage release would be followed by an Israeli military pullback to a previously held boundary position, while decisions about Gaza's future governing structure could be negotiated concurrently.