Hostage survivors Keith and Aviva Segal delivered on Wednesday harrowing testimonies about their experiences in captivity in Gaza before a United Nations committee in Geneva.
The Segal couple was still in their pajamas when terrorists stormed into their home Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7, 2023, Keith Segal related before the U.N. Committee against Torture (UNCAT). The Segals were part of an Israeli delegation led by Justice Ministry Director‑General Itamar Donenfeld.
About 15 armed terrorists “tore Aviva’s meniscus in her knee and broke my ribs. On the way to the car they shot at us and I was injured in my wrist. ... They pushed us into a car, a terrorist sitting in the back seat with a long knife in front of our faces. ... Within minutes we crossed the border [into Gaza],” he continued, according to Ynet.
“Our captives compared my genitals to those of another hostage, threatened us with knives, leaving us to beg to go to the bathroom—we would wait until we were absolutely about to explode so that we would not anger the terrorists. I was denied the most basic of human rights. I was starved. More than once young terrorists forced me to undress in front of them, and shaved my body,” he went on to say.
Hostage survivor, Keith Siegel, gives evidence at the UN Committee against Torture (Geneva).
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) November 13, 2025
Listen and understand why the ceasefire agreement must be implemented.
Hamas must disarm.
Gaza must demilitarize.
It is critical the 4 remaining hostages’ corpses be released. pic.twitter.com/eCSwEcfCph
Aviva Segal, who was released after 50 days in captivity as part of a hostage-terrorist swap agreement, told the committee about a young boy from her community who was held captive with her in the Strip.
“I know [his] family, I love them. A Hamas terrorist zip tied his hands while we were sitting there. He was full of blood. We were full of blood. When [the terrorist] came to take [the zip ties] off him with a cutter, he cut his hand with the zip tie. I’ll never ever forget that moment. I wanted to scream while I could see the Hamas terrorist smile,” she said.
In another incident, a young girl went to the bathroom and when she came back “she was shaking. I knew I wasn’t allowed to hug her... but I got up and gave her a hug. I felt I had to, she’s young. After a while she told us that a Hamas terrorist touched her whole body and did whatever he wanted,” afterwards threatening to kill her if she told anyone, Segal recounted.
Another young girl was forced to commit a sexual act on a Hamas terrorist in the shower.
“She’s 16 years old. She’s never ever shown anyone her body. The Hamas terrorist just stood there, stared at her and smiled. I remember looking at her while she came out of there; she was shocked, I was shocked,” Segal continued.
Her worst moments, however, was seeing how the captors “tortured my husband Keith [and] what they did to the girls, and I wasn’t even allowed to hug, I wasn’t allowed to help, I wasn’t allowed to cry, I wasn’t allowed to move... I tried so badly [to remain] human and loving any way I could. I loved by the way I looked at them with my eyes,” she added.
“I come from a community that 64 people were murdered. Forty families lost at least one member of the family. People on Oct. 7, [2023,] died slowly, while talking to their families telling how much they loved them—and then disappeared out of life. When I came back I heard so many stories—and they’re true. They were videoed by Hamas because they were proud of themselves. They played soccer with heads of humans. They cut off breasts off girls and played. One boy in my community was buried without a head—they found the head in Gaza with ice creams.”
Keith Siegel, 62, was freed in a hostage deal on Feb. 1, 2025, along with Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon, after 484 days in Hamas terrorist captivity.
His spouse, Aviva Siegel, 64, was released on Nov. 26, 2023.
