American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, 65, center left, waves as he is escorted by Hamas fighters to be handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza City, Saturday Feb.1, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP
A freed Israeli hostage said Friday (February 14, 2025) that Hamas militants starved and tortured him during captivity, as the Red Cross expressed concern over the condition of those still held in Gaza.
Hamas is set to release three more captives on Saturday in the sixth hostage-prisoner swap under a ceasefire deal with Israel.
“When I was in Gaza, I lived in constant fear, fear for my life and my personal safety,” Keith Siegel, an Israel-American who was freed on February 1, said in a video statement addressed to U.S. President Donald Trump.
“The terrorists kicked me, spat on me, and held me with no water, no light, and no air to breathe.
“I was starved and tortured, both physically and emotionally,” he said.
The mother of another released hostage, Liri Albag, told Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot that her daughter sometimes had nothing to eat for days, and “at times, they ate food meant for donkeys”.
Shiri Albag, in comments published on Thursday, said there was “minimal hygiene” in Gaza and recalled how her daughter’s captives taunted her with videos of the male hostages being beaten and abused.
“Liri told us right at the beginning, ‘I came out of hell and we went through hell there, but the boys, the soldiers, are going through more than us,'” Shiri Albag said in a separate interview with Israel’s Channel 12 news.
The latest allegations of abuse in captivity came hours as the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has facilitated the ongoing hostage-prisoner swaps between Israel and Hamas, said it was concerned about those still in Gaza.
“The latest release operations reinforce the urgent need for ICRC access to those held hostage. We remain very concerned about the conditions of the hostages,” the Red Cross said in a statement on X.
“We have consistently reiterated that release and transfer operations should be carried out in a dignified and safe manner.
“The ICRC will continue our efforts to see all hostages released, until the last hostage is returned.”
Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on January 19, the two sides have conducted five hostage-prisoner swaps.
During the fifth exchange on February 8, Hamas forced three hostages to thank their captors in front of crowds of Palestinians gathered to witness their release in Gaza.
The emaciated appearance of the hostages shocked their families and the world, and prompted the ICRC to call on Hamas to ensure subsequent swaps are more private and dignified.
The next hostage-prisoner exchange is scheduled for Saturday. Three additional men are to be released.
Since the ceasefire began, militants have released 16 Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails.
Published – February 14, 2025 07:02 pm IST
