Latest news with #AvivaSiegel
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Freed Hamas hostages to march in NY's Israel Day Parade this weekend: ‘We won't stop until everyone is home'
Hamas hostage survivors will march down Fifth Avenue on Sunday as part of New York's annual Israel Day Parade — to continue the push to free the remaining 58 captives. Keith and Aviva Siegel, Doron Steinbrecher, Ilana Gritzewsky and Eliya Cohen are expected to join as many as 40,000 other demonstrators for the parade, showing solidarity for Israel as well as advocating for the plight of the hostages. 'We will march together, standing with the families and released hostages, and making our message unmistakably clear: Nothing is more important than bringing them home — all of them. We won't stop until everyone is home,' the Jewish Community Relations Council said in a statement. This year's theme is, fittingly, 'Hatikvah,' meaning 'the hope' in Hebrew. It is also the title of Israel's national anthem. The parade logo for 2025 is a multi-colored tree with a yellow ribbon in its center, which has been used to signify support for the 251 people who were abducted by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack. The Siegels and Gritzeweky were freed from captivity in November 2023 during the first cease-fire deal with Hamas, while Steinbracher and Cohen endured nearly 500 days of torture. 'It's just impossible to grasp, and there are no words to describe the lack of understanding in our country about what is taking place 50 meters underground,' Cohen said after his release. It will be the second march since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war, and its mission has since pivoted from celebrating the Jewish culture to stamping out antisemitism and renewing demands to free the remaining hostages. The procession will start at 11:30 a.m. at 62nd Street and continue north to 74th Street.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Hamas hostages recall horrific torture in Gaza as they call for remaining captives' freedom at NYC Israel Day parade
A pair of freed Israeli hostages recalled the torture they and others endured in Gaza as they joined the thousands marching at New York City's Israel Day parade on Sunday. Keith and Aviva Siegel joined chants from the attendees on Fifth Avenue demanding the remaining 58 hostages in Gaza be freed during the annual parade. US-Israel dual citizen Keith Siegel, 66 — who was held captive for 484 days before being freed in February — said there can be no time to waste in freeing the hostages, given the horrors he endured and witnessed inside Hamas' tunnel network. 'I experienced abuse of many different kinds,' Siegel said, alluding to his days spent shuffling around in dark tunnels and being deprived of food. 'I witnessed the abuse and the literal torture of other hostages that I saw, including women. I witnessed sexual abuse,' he added. 'I witnessed violence and humiliation and starvation and dehydration, being held in terrible conditions, not being able to clean my body for weeks at a time.' Despite the horrors in Gaza and the kidnappings on Oct. 7, which also saw 64 of his neighbors slain, Siegel considers himself 'a very lucky man' for surviving and being able to advocate for his fellow captives. 'We have lives that we can save, we must save them,' he told the crowd on Fifth Avenue. 'I feel terrible that I was released and they were left behind. I am doing anything that I can possibly do to bring them back home.' Aviva, who was freed in November 2023, described 'being in captivity underground and touching death' as 'one of the worst things that anyone can go through.' 'They have to all come home, all the 58 hostages in Gaza. They deserve a better life…We need to, as humans, push and scream for them, because they can't,' she added. The Siegels' plea was echoed by the thousands attending the parade who waved Israeli flags as they chanted 'Bring them home' and 'Hamas gotta go.' Along with the former hostages, wounded Israel Defense Forces soldiers Yiftach Golov, 41, and Liam Shpilman, 27, joined the parade. Golov, who suffered injuries to his back and left shoulder after a bomb blast in the West Bank back in 2003, said he was moved to see such a large crowd in New York in support of the Jewish state. 'Right now, Israel is undergoing a huge rebuilding of national resilience. The story of Israel is about its people, that's what basically is the source of the strength for its people,' he said. Shpilman, who volunteered to serve in the IDF once again following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, said the war was necessary to protect Israel, no matter the cost. Shpliman was deployed along the northern border in the fight against Hezbollah, with a suicide drone ripping off his right leg and crushing his spine. 'Israel has the right to defend herself,' he said about the current conflict. 'I can say to you that our enemies will always find a reason to attack us. In the past, the Jewish blood was cheaper. Not anymore.' New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and New York Mayor Eric Adams also partook in the parade. Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and former Comptroller Scott Stringer — who are running in a crowded Democratic Party primary for city mayor — were also at the event. Democratic socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani skipped the parade. 'Zohran had prior commitments at churches and rallies across New York City today. However, he continues to believe in Israel's right to exist and has said so repeatedly,' his campaign spokesman Andrew Epstein said. Other candidates, city Comptroller Brad Lander and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, also did not attend the parade. Both attended the pre-parade breakfast sponsored by the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty. Debra Lea, 25, of the Upper East Side, said it was important for as many people as possible to come out to the parade, which marks the second march since the start of the war in Gaza. 'I march every single year. I think it's so important. If we can't be loud and proud in a city like New York, how can we expect that from Jews anywhere else in the world? We are setting an example,' she told The Post. Alan Stern, 90, of Long Island, agreed that it was important to show widespread support for the Jewish community during such trying times. 'I think it's important to be counted,' he said.
CBS News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Israel Day Parade 2025 in NYC honors hostages released and still held by Hamas
The 2025 Israel Day Parade in New York City commemorated the country's 77th year of independence, but it also focused on the effort to bring the remaining hostages home from Gaza. Sunday's parade in Manhattan was held six days after Hamas released Edan Alexander, a New Jersey native who was believed to be the last living U.S. citizen held by the U.S. and Israeli-designated terrorist group. NYPD created a "frozen zone" around the parade route on Fifth Avenue, where security was tight amid an uptick in antisemitic threats and rhetoric. A small counter protest called "No Parade for Genocide" took place an avenue away on Madison. Freed hostages Keith and Aviva Siegel celebrated as honorary guests Honorary guests this year were Keith Siegel, a 66-year-old American-Israeli released by Hamas in February after 484 days in captivity, and his wife, Aviva, who was held hostage for 51 days. Siegel, 66, is from North Carolina, but has family in New York City. The couple said speaking out is part of their efforts to bring the remaining 58 hostages home. "I think it's amazing and it's so joyous to have Edan back home. I think it proves that we can get the hostages out," Keith Siegel said. "I witnesses sexual abuse, I witnessed violence and humiliation and starvation, dehydration." "Being in captivity underneath the ground and touching death is one of the worst things that anybody should go through," Aviva Siegel said. Push to bring remaining hostages home Keith Siegel said he was held with four other hostages who were still alive, including Omri Miran, whose wife, Lishay, was at the parade with their two daughters. "Roni, almost four years old, and Alma, she is two years old. They didn't see their father," she said. "Every morning, Roni asks me two questions. Why is Daddy still in Gaza and when is Daddy, Omri, coming back?" "I just wait to the moment that Roni and Alma run for him. Say 'Daddy!' And just hug him. This is what I want," Miran added. Officials also spoke about the importance of bringing home four Americans, believed by Israel to be dead, with ties to the New York City area. Parade crowd proclaims support for Israel During the parade, enthusiastic crowds accompanied colorful displays, and Holocaust survivors and politicians proclaimed their support for Israel. "1965, this parade started, and we're going to continue to move toward that hope we all look for," Mayor Eric Adams said. "The values that Israel holds are the same values this country holds," New York Attorney General Letitia James said. "To see all these people coming together, Jewish and non-Jewish coming here to stand together united, it means the world to me," Montana Tucker, a social media influencer, said. The theme of this year's parade was Hatiikvah, which in Hebrew means "the hope."
Los Angeles Times
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
American Israeli hostage set to be released from Gaza by Hamas
An American Israeli hostage is scheduled to be released by Hamas militants on Saturday, along with the father of the youngest captive held in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli organization representing families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip was celebrating the news Friday that three male hostages were going to be released. This would be the fourth round of hostage releases in the cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, which aims to end the devastating war in Gaza sparked by Hamas' attack on Oct. 7, 2023, as well as release dozens of hostages taken by Hamas and hundreds of Palestinians held by Israel. Keith Siegel, 65, an American Israeli originally from Chapel Hill, N.C., was taken hostage from Kibbutz Kfar Aza along with his wife, Aviva Siegel. Aviva Siegel was released during a brief cease-fire period in November 2023, and since then has waged a high-profile campaign to free Keith and the other hostages remaining in Gaza. Hamas and Israeli officials say Siegel will be released alongside Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas, 35, and French Israeli Ofer Kalderon, 54. Kalderon was captured by the militants from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his two children. His ex-wife, Hadas, was also taken captive. The two children and Hadas Kalderon were released during the hostage exchange in November. News that Yarden Bibas would be among those released brought renewed attention to the uncertain fate of the Bibas family. Hamas claims his wife, Shiri, and his two sons, Kfir and Ariel, were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel has not confirmed their deaths but says it's gravely concerned for their welfare. Military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said recently that the military was seriously concerned about the fate of the mother and her two boys. Relatives of Yarden Bibas say their 'emotions are mixed' as they prepare to welcome him home from captivity without his children. 'Our Yarden is set to return tomorrow and we are all so excited, but Shiri and the children have not yet returned. The emotions are mixed, and we are facing very complex days,' wrote their relatives in a statement Friday. 'Please protect Yarden's heart,' they wrote. 'We love you, dear people of Israel and our amazing supporters from all over the world.' The family — and particularly the orange-haired toddler Kfir, just 9 months old when captured — have become household names in Israel, with the color orange coming to symbolize the family's plight.
Voice of America
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
Hamas announces names of hostages to be released Saturday
The militant group Hamas has announced — and Israel has confirmed — the identity of the next three hostages to be released Saturday in the fourth such exchange between the sides under a ceasefire agreement to halt more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza. The hostages include Yarden Bibas, 35, who was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israel along with his wife, Shiri, and two young boys, Ariel and Kfir. The fate of his family is uncertain. Also to be released is U.S.-Israeli citizen Keith Siegel, 65, originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, who was taken hostage from Kibbutz Kfar Aza along with his wife, Aviva Siegel. Aviva Siegel was released during a brief ceasefire in November 2023. The third hostage was identified as Ofer Kalderon, 54, a French-Israeli hostage, who was captured by the militants from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his two children. His ex-wife, Hadas, also was taken captive. The two children and Hadas Kalderon were released during the 2023 hostage exchange. Hamas has been designated as a terror group by the U.S., Britain and other Western nations. Hamas released eight hostages, including three Israelis and five Thai nationals, on Thursday. Later in the day, Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners, including 32 serving life sentences for deadly attacks on Israelis. Under the ceasefire deal, more than 423,000 Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza. The Israeli military ordered them out of the territory in the earliest stages of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023. At a news conference Friday in Geneva, the U.N.'s World Food Program, WFP, provided an update on efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Country Director Antoine Renard told reporters the agency has delivered more than 32,000 metric tons of food into Gaza since the ceasefire agreement began on Jan. 19. He said that amount was more than twice what was delivered in December and three times what was delivered in October. Renard said the WFP has already reached 300,000 people. Meanwhile, during a visit to Lebanon Friday, Egypt's foreign affairs minister, Badr Abdelatty, called for a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon. Following talks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Abdelatty told reporters, 'Egypt is very keen on confirming the need for a full and complete Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, without taking away a single inch of Lebanese sovereignty and territory.' Under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal announced Nov. 27, Israeli forces were to withdraw from southern Lebanon, and the militant group Hezbollah was to move north of the Litani River by Jan. 26. Israeli forces have remained in more than a dozen villages past the deadline. The United States and Lebanon announced Sunday the deadline to meet the ceasefire terms had been extended to Feb. 18. Since the ceasefire began, Israel has conducted near-daily operations in southern Lebanon, including airstrikes and shelling. They accuse Hezbollah of violating ceasefire terms by attempting to move weapons. In statements posted to its social media accounts, the Israel Defense Forces, or IDF, reported overnight Thursday its fighter jets launched several attacks against what it said were Hezbollah terrorist organization targets in Lebanon's Bekaa region, which it said 'posed a threat to the Israeli home front and IDF forces.' The IDF statement said the targets included a military site 'with underground infrastructure for the development and production of weapons and transit infrastructure on the Syrian-Lebanon border' through which, the IDF said, Hezbollah was trying to transfer weapons. The IDF also reported the Israeli air force intercepted a Hezbollah reconnaissance drone over Israeli territory Thursday, which it said violates the ceasefire agreement. 'The IDF continues to be committed to the understandings reached regarding the ceasefire in Lebanon,' its statement said, 'and will not allow the execution of terrorist plots of this type.' Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
