Former Israeli hostages recount abuse and starvation in Gaza

Former Israeli hostages have provided detailed accounts of the physical and psychological abuse they endured while held in Gaza by Hamas following the October 7, 2023, attacks.

Aviva Siegel, who was held for 51 days, testified to witnessing the severe physical and sexual abuse of female hostages. She reported that women were forced into inappropriate clothing and subjected to humiliation and violence by their captors. Siegel and her husband, Keith, were abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

Evyatar David, who was held for over two years after being abducted from the Nova music festival, described being subjected to deliberate starvation and psychological warfare. David stated that captors forced him to dig what they claimed would be his own grave and used his emaciated physical state for propaganda videos. He noted that while the videos were staged by captors, the malnutrition he experienced was real, stating, “we didn’t eat for three months.”