Israeli woman freed from Hamas captivity recalls brutal conditions in tunnels

Aviva Siegel, an Israeli woman kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7 and held for more than 50 days until she was released under a temporary ceasefire, told NBC News that she was determined to “scream and scream for the hostages to come home” — including her husband, Keith, who is believed to be alive.

“I talked about those tunnels,” Siegel told NBC News’ Lester Holt on Tuesday during a trip to New York for the start of the U.N. General Assembly session, referring to the tunnels where she was held before her release in November.

“Keith and I almost died in the tunnel because there was no oxygen, and I’ve talked about it over and over again – difficult stories. But I just want to tell everyone that we’re not going to stop,” she said in an interview with other people whose loved ones were taken prisoner in the Hamas terror attack in Israel.

“We will talk and tell all the difficult stories,” she added.

Siegel, 63, recalled some of the conditions inside the vast network of tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip. She described hostages thrown to the ground on “filthy, filthy mattresses,” forbidden to speak or move, confined to dark spaces. She recounted the physical agony of starvation lasting “24 hours or more.”

“I was there in the same conditions,” Siegel added, “and the whole time I thought I was going to die.”

The group that spoke to NBC News on Tuesday also included Jonathan Dekel Chen, father of Saguia Dekel-Chen; Orna Neutra, mother of Omer Neutra; Yael Alexander, mother of Edan Alexander; Mika Alexander, sister of Edan; Andrea Weinstein, sister of Judy Weinstein and sister-in-law of Gadi Haggai; and Ruby and Hagit Chen, parents of Itay Chen.

Late last year, officials confirmed that Judy Weinstein and Haggai were most likely killed on Oct. 7, and their bodies are currently being held in Gaza. Israeli military officials told Ruby and Hagit Chen in early March that Itay was believed to have been killed on Oct. 7.

Itay’s parents still hold out hope that he might be alive. “We are not mourning yet,” Hagit Chen said. “We have no physical evidence that Itay is dead.”

Orna Neutra said she believed the hostages’ families were “fighting this war for attention” against a backdrop of chaos that includes Israel’s devastating military campaign in the Gaza Strip, the deaths of more than 40,000 Palestinians and an escalating conflict between the Israeli military and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Events in the Middle East are constantly changing and we are here again today … to raise this issue (and) make sure it remains at the forefront,” said Orna Neutra, adding that she was calling for “de-escalation,” the immediate release of hostages and greater protection for the “innocent” in the conflict, including Gazans.

Jonathan Dekel-Chen said: “We hope that the only way to stop this is to reach an agreement through negotiations between Israel and Hamas.”

Jews around the world are preparing to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, in early October — for the first time since Oct. 7. Aviva Siegel said she can’t fathom the idea of ​​celebrating what is usually a festive holiday this year.

“We’re just going to cry,” she said, bursting into tears. “I can’t celebrate Rosh Hashanah without Keith.”