Freed hostages’ daughter weds with parents by her side

Shir Siegel, the daughter of released Hamas hostages Keith and Aviva Siegel, got married on Thursday, accompanied by her parents and other captivity survivors, Hebrew media reported.

Shir Siegel got engaged to Yuval Bar-On a month before the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, when terrorists stormed Israel’s south, murdering some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, including both her parents, who were taken from their homes in Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

Aviva Siegel, 64, was released after 51 days while Keith Siegel, 66, a dual U.S.-Israeli national, remained in captivity for an additional 433 days, until he was finally released on Feb. 1 as part of a truce agreement.

“This is the image of victory,” Shir wrote on her Instagram profile on Monday, sharing pictures of the chuppah, or wedding canopy. She added: “When everyone will be home—that will be total victory.”

“My wish came true,” the newlywed wrote, adding: “Hoping these moments will spread great light and bring everyone back home to us.”

Footage of the wedding circulating on social media showed her dancing joyfully with her father, as well as with freed Gaza captive Emily Damari and ex-hostages Liri Albag, Agam Berger and Amit Soussana, the latter three of whom had been held by terrorists alongside Aviva in the Strip.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the sister of Avinatan Or, who is still a captive after 676 days, got married on Monday, Arutz 7 reported.

The wedding ceremony of Emunah Or and Mordechai Meir Noam Shreiber was attended by fellow hostage families, as well as freed captives, including Noa Argamani, Avinatan’s girlfriend.

Argamani, who was abducted from the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im on Oct. 7 together with Avinatan, was rescued by Israel’s security forces alongside three others during a daring daylight raid on Jun. 8, 2024, in the heart of a crowded Gaza residential neighborhood.

Announcing her engagement in May, Emunah wrote: “We wanted to share that there is true goodness in the world. It is simple, alive and revealed, and blessed be God, the King.”

She added: “Through this, abundant blessings will flow into all the worlds, and we will see Avinatan happy and dancing with us at the wedding very soon.”

Fifty hostages remain in captivity in the Strip, some 20 of whom are believed to be alive.