Former Hamas hostage visits Minnesota to raise awareness of captives still in Gaza: "It's a moral issue"
Keith Siegel was held hostage by Hamas for 484 days. And for every day since his release, he's been advocating for the freedom of all those still held captive by the terrorist group.
"I am here. I'm alive. I'm standing on my two feet," Siegel told WCCO News. "I'm advocating for the release of the hostages. And it's proof that it can be done."
Originally from North Carolina, Siegel moved to Israel in the 1980s and lived for decades in Kfar Azza, a tranquil community of roughly 900 just a few miles from Israel's border with Gaza.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorists stormed Kfar Azza, along with dozens of other Israeli communities, killing more than 1,200 people and taking more than 250 captive. Siegel and his wife, Aviva, were among them.
"I was held against my will and I was held in horrific conditions," Siegel said. "Living in constant threat, danger and uncertainty and being totally disconnected from my family, not knowing how they were doing."
Though his wife was released in November 2023 as part of an early ceasefire deal, Siegel remained in Hamas' hands for another year. According to Siegel, he was shuttled between homes, apartments and underground tunnels more than 30 times.
"Being a hostage, you have no control over anything other than what goes on in your mind," he said. "They decided if I would get food or wouldn't get food, I would get water or wouldn't get water. They were going to curse me and spit on me and scream at me for no reason – or not. I want people to know the horrific atrocities that Hamas did on October the 7th by murdering and killing innocent people."
This week's trip to Minnesota is Siegel's fifth to the United States since his release in February 2025, which have included stops in the Oval Office and meetings with President Trump.
"I support an agreement that will bring the hostages home and makes sure Hamas will never pose a threat to the security of Israel," Siegel said. "On October the 7th, Muslims were kidnapped and murdered. Buddhists were kidnapped and murdered. It wasn't only Jews. They attacked Israel, they targeted Israel, but they took hostage other people of different nationalities. It happened in Israel. It could happen here."
