Aviva Siegel's husband Keith has been in Hamas captivity for over 450 days
Former Hamas hostage pleads for Trump to save husband, others from 'hell' of captivity
Aviva Siegel, who was held hostage by Hamas for 51 days, tells 'Fox & Friends' about her husband, who is still being held in captivity in Gaza, and recounts the harrowing experiences she witnessed during the terror attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.
Freed Hamas hostage Aviva Siegel is desperate to see her husband Keith brought home alive more than 450 days after attackers abducted him on Oct. 7, 2023.
Speaking to "Fox & Friends" on Tuesday, Siegel sent a message to President-elect Donald Trump to deliver him and other remaining hostages from "hell" as he prepares for his White House return.
"I want to tell Trump that he can save them," she said.
ISRAEL'S NETANYAHU REACTS AFTER TRUMP WARNS OF ‘HELL TO PAY’ IF HAMAS DOESN'T FREE HOSTAGES
Aviva Siegel, an Israeli hostage who was held for 51 days, speaks about her husband, Keith Siegel, who is still being held by Hamas, during a vigil on the National Mall on July 23, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
"Please, please the new year is coming, and I want Keith to come back and for me to say, ‘Happy New Year, Keith. Happy New Year to all the hostages.’ They deserve to come out of hell… the whole world is just waiting to see the strongest nation in the world [the U.S.] – how strong they are. They need to be stronger and to get them out now."
Siegel, who was also seized when Hamas terrorists launched their initial attacks on Israel, was freed after 51 days while Keith was left behind.
She frequently wears a shirt with his portrait on the front and the words "Bring Them Home Now" printed on the back, a reminder of the cause she champions daily.
"Keith is the most sweetest, loving person on earth. He's very proud to be American, and he's waiting to get out of Gaza," she said.
"He's there suffering underneath the ground in the worst conditions anybody could ever handle, and Keith is so sensitive. He's just waiting and keeping alive to come back to his family and his grandchildren that love him so much and can't wait for him to come back."
President-elect Donald Trump looks on during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center on December 22, 2024, in Phoenix, Arizona. Trump vowed "all hell to pay" if Hamas fails to release the remaining hostages by Jan. 20. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
At least seven of the approximately 100 hostages remaining in Gaza are Americans, and their future remains uncertain as the new year looms. Trump promised "all hell to pay" if Hamas fails to set the captives free before he assumes office on Jan. 20, giving the terror group just over 20 days to heed his demand.
Siegel says no human being should be forced to go through what she had to endure under Hamas' thumb.
"No human being should be thrown underneath the ground for more than 450 days. They are Americans, some of them. Keith is an American, and they need to get him out. They've suffered enough," she said.
"Think about the girls just waiting to be raped again and for Keith just waiting to be beaten up into pieces again or to be starved or to be threatened or to be thrown out underneath the ground with no oxygen, I was there. I nearly died. I'm lucky. I'm lucky to be sitting here alive because I know that that place is dangerous. It's very dangerous, and no war should continue in any place in the world. We should stop. Killing people isn't right. People should learn. We want to learn not to die."
Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
