'I touched death so many times in Gaza': Released hostage Aviva Siegel on 'screaming' for a cease-fire deal

Jul 10, 2025

Aviva Siegel, a released hostage from Kibbutz Kfar Azza, shares her harrowing experience after 51 days in captivity. She discusses the urgent need for a cease-fire deal aimed at rescuing more hostages, while expressing deep concern for those still imprisoned, like twin brothers Gali and Ziv Ber. Aviva emphasizes the emotional turmoil of families facing uncertainty and the trauma that lingers even after release. Her poignant plea captures the struggle for hope amidst fear, urging decision-makers to prioritize the safe return of every captive.

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INSIGHT

Partial Hostage Release Concerns

The planned deal releases only 10 live hostages out of 50, leaving 22 behind in Gaza, causing immense worry for their fate.
Families lack clear information about the remaining hostages, causing fear about their survival and conditions.

ANECDOTE

Receiving News Mid-Flight

Aviva learned about her husband's release while flying and felt trapped but ecstatic, despite delays in his actual release.
Meeting Keith again shocked her due to his weakened state after captivity.

INSIGHT

Harsh Hostage Conditions in Gaza

The hostages endure horrific conditions including severe injuries, blindness, chains, and lack of medical care.
Survivors like Keith suffered extreme confinement and torture that no human should endure.

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Israel, it seems, is once again on the brink of a cease-fire deal with Hamas – one that would see hostilities halted for at least two months, and an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages.

But as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump talk particulars in Washington, the families of the 50 remaining hostages are far from relieved. The deal on the table would only bring home 10 of the living hostages, and the remains of 18 of the deceased – leaving the fate of the 22 others in question.

Aviva Siegel was kidnapped on October 7 from Kibbutz Kfar Azza along with her husband, Keith. She was released after 51 days, and campaigned tirelessly for Keith's release. After he came home in February, the reunited couple have fought for the return of the remaining hostages in Gaza.

Siegel joins Haaretz reporter Linda Dayan to talk about this deal, captivity, adjusting to freedom and the urgency of bringing every hostage home.

"Nobody's really talking about what's going to happen after the 10 [living hostages] come home, and half the hostages that aren't alive," Siegel says. "I've asked important people if they can answer that, because it's a question that I think about all the time, and I'm very, very worried."

On what may be the eve of a historic decision, she says that she would tell decision-makers – at home and abroad – her own story, and ask them how they can abandon the hostages who remain there, like 27-year-old twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman.

"I was there for the 51 days. I felt that I was left behind," she recounted. "And there were so many moments that I lost hope and I just wanted to die. What I saw in Gaza and what I felt was so much for a human being to go through. I just wanted to die. So I want the leaders to understand that they have to take responsibility – I'm just an ordinary person, and I just want my life back."

Subscribe to Haaretz.com for up-to-the-minute news and analysis from Israel and the Middle East in English.

'A Little More and You're Home': Kfar Azza's Fight for Its Last Hostages in Gaza

What Exactly Is In the Cease-fire/Hostage Deal On the Table?

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