Recently freed American hostage Keith Siegel kept hope alive during his 484 days in captivity after learning half-way through that his son had survived Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 terrorist attack, his family says.
Siegel, 65, was kept in the dark and alone for the majority of his captivity in Gaza, with the North Carolina native maintaining his sanity by keeping track of the days to occupy his mind, his brothers told the Times of Israel.
On day 205, the struggling Siegel found renewed determination after catching a radio interview with his daughter revealing that his son, Shai, had survived the Oct 7 terror attack.
Previously, Siegel, who was freed on Feb. 1, had assumed the worst when Hamas kidnapped him and his wife from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza.
The terrorists massacred 64 of his neighbors — among the 1,200 people killed in southern Israel during the attack.
The longtime Chapel Hill resident had assumed his son was among the victims, which made his solitary stay in the Gaza Strip all the harder.
Knowing that he would be with his captors for a long time, Siegel did everything he could to keep himself busy so he could endure the next 15 months and make it back to his family, his brother said.
“He found his strategy to keep anchored: what number day it was, who he was with, and repeat it and repeat it,” Lee Siegel told the TOI of his brother’s survival strategy.
Keith Siegel said he was moved a total of 33 times during his captivity in Gaza. Hamas operatives kept him in dark rooms, where he was forced to lie down and remain silent and given little food.
In each of the places he was kept at, Siegel kept his eyes and mind busy by absorbing as much information about his new environment as he could.
“He could tell us if there was a dog in a house where he was staying and whether the dog had a name,” his other brother, David Siegel, added.
It was only after he was freed that Siegel could truly confirm his son was alive, with the American seen hugging Shai and shedding tears after being reunited in Israel.
As Siegel continues to recover after losing a significant amount of weight, his siblings say he’s glad to resume his vegetarian diet after having to give it up under Hamas.
“He’s craving tofu,” his sister Lucy Siegel said. “He’s had it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
So far, the terror group has given up 21 hostages, including five Thai citizens who were kidnapped during the Oct. 7 attack. The first phase of the cease-fire deal calls for 12 more hostages to be released in the next three weeks.
There are 76 hostages remaining in Gaza — around 30 of whom are presumed dead, according to Israeli officials.
