Aviva Siegal tells of her time in captivity in Gaza
(Alex Gamburg)
Aviva Siegal who was released from Hamas captivity in Gaza described how one of the young women taken by the terrorists was handcuffed and beaten with a stick by four of them, three other young girls were made to shower in front of their guards although they had never shown their bodies to anyone.
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Speaking to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations on Tuesday Siegal said her husband Keith, an American citizen was forced to shave his entire body while being ridiculed by his captors. They were abducted from their home, pulled by their hair, and beaten as they were taken to Gaza.
I came back from Gaza after 31 days of hell," Siegal said. "I never thought that I would see my kids again. I never thought that I would see the ocean again. I never thought that I would have a warm shower again. The terrorists told us that Israel does not exist. They told us the whole world was bombing Israel."
Siegal described being taken one time to a tunnel that was 40 meters deep below ground. "We were there for four days with almost no water and no food. We got to the point where we were not able to even say a word because there was no oxygen to breathe. The terrorists just left us there because it was not comfortable for them because there was no oxygen," she said describing how she and her husband were gasping for air.
In her heart-wrenching testimony to the Jewish leaders, Siegal described a time when one of the girls was called by the terrorists out of the room where the rest were kept. When she returned it was obvious that something had happened. "She came to me and looked me in the eye and said he touched me. and we cried together."
I am standing here and telling my story because I believe that we can all do something," she said. "Please do everything you can to stop this madness and please help bring Keith and all the hostages home," she said.
"I was in the worst place ever, with no oxygen, starved, thirsty, sitting in the dark, threatened, for 51 days. I want to ask you all, how can I continue knowing that Keith is still there and going through hell? My heart can't handle this. please help."