Hamas Hostage Aviva Siegel Testifies to UN on Torture, Starvation, and Sexual Assaults in Gaza

Hostage Experience and Initial Trauma

• 😭 Aviva Siegel, held captive for 51 days, describes the constant fear of missile attacks from Gaza over 20 years, turning life into a living hell.
• 💔 She recounts the terrifying moment her son was disconnected during the attack, leaving her certain he was killed for 51 days.
• 🩸 A graphic account details a Hamas terrorist cutting a boy's hand while removing zip ties, causing him to bleed profusely, an act witnessed with a smile by the captor.

Conditions of Captivity and Abuse

• ⛓️ Siegel endured constant threats, starvation, and severe dehydration, losing 10 kilos in 51 days due to minimal food and water.
• 🍽️ Captors ate and chewed constantly in front of hostages, exacerbating their hunger and distress.
• 🚫 Strict control was enforced, with hostages forbidden from moving, stretching, or even crying, under threat of death.

Sexual Assaults and Humiliation

• 😥 A young girl, after being touched inappropriately by a Hamas terrorist, was forced to smile and threatened with death if she spoke of the assault.
• 🚿 Another 16-year-old girl was forced to undress and shower while a Hamas terrorist watched and smiled, leaving her deeply shocked.
• 💔 Siegel expresses profound pain witnessing the torture of her husband and the abuse of other girls, feeling helpless and unable to offer comfort.

Psychological and Physical Control

• 🚶‍♂️ Hostages were forced to lie still for extended periods, enduring body soreness and the constant threat of violence for minor infractions like moving a foot.
• 🚽 At 62 years old, Siegel had to beg for permission to use the bathroom, often denied due to captors' fatigue or indifference, even when experiencing severe stomach pain from dirty water.
• 🙏 Forced prayers to Allah were imposed, leading Siegel to question the morality of captors who inflicted such suffering.

Aftermath and Community Impact

• 💔 Upon return, Siegel faced a year and two months of uncertainty about her husband's fate and learned of 64 murders in her community, impacting 40 families.
• 📹 Hamas documented their atrocities, including playing with human heads and mutilating bodies, actions they were proud of.
• 💪 Siegel recounts helping an 84-year-old fellow hostage, Elma, survive by massaging her for hours, preventing her death from severe weight loss and hypothermia.
• ❤️ She expresses gratitude for her husband Keith's survival and thanks everyone for listening to her testimony.