Wife of Keith Siegel, Chapel Hill man held hostage by Hamas, pleads for his release

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- Aviva Siegel was once held hostage by Hamas along with her husband, Keith. She hasn't had any contact with him in one year. He has no idea his 97-year-old mother who lived in Chapel Hill died last Sunday.

"While we were in Gaza he told me the first thing he wants to do is to go see his mom when he gets out of Gaza," Aviva Siegel said. "I've been talking and crying for a year. Keith hasn't come back."

The Siegels have been married for 43 years. They have four children and five grandchildren. Siegel spoke with ABC11 virtually from her daughter's Virginia home.

"What worries me the most is that they're going to kill him. That they will die before we will be able to get him back home," she said.

On Oct. 7, 2023, she and her husband were taken from their home with only the clothes on their back by Hamas. She was held captive for 51 days and Keith has now been there for a year and two months.

"They used to starve us and eat in front of us. They used to not give us any water. I was dehydrated. had an infection in my stomach," Aviva Siegel said.

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She witnessed mental, physical, and sexual abuse on other hostages. Siegel is now calling on President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump to do something.

"It's not a Democrat or Republican issue," she said. "This is a world issue."