The Israeli captive released by the United States Keith Siegel was forced before his release from writing a letter thanking his Hamas kidnappers for his treatment while being detained in captivity for 484 days.
His family asked that the letter he was forced by Hamas to write, dated January 18, is not published by the media.
“Hamas terrorists forced Keith to write a detailed thank you letter while keeping him captive,” his family said in a statement. “This is only one example of many that demonstrates the cruel and cynical behavior of Hamas, and highlights the urgency of bringing all the remaining hostages home.”
Siegel was released on Saturday in Gaza City. He and his wife, Aviva, were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023. Aviva was released during a week-long ceasefire in November 2023.
During his transfer to the Red Cross, he appeared to be thin and pale but was able to walk, helped by masked and armed fighters from Hamas. He was forced to accept two “gift bags” of Hamas and a strap around his neck with a Palestinian flag and the badge of the Al-Qassam brigades of Hamas. He was also paraded on a Hamas scene before a banner proclaiming “Nazi Zionism will not win”.
He would have told his loved ones that food was extremely rare in captivity, and that he was vegetarian, he sometimes ate lively products given to him to survive.

Released in hostage Keith Siegel finds his three daughters at the Surasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv (Ichilov Hospital) on February 1, 2025. (Israeli defense forces)
Four female soldiers who were released from captivity a week earlier were forced to film a Hamas propaganda video thanking their kidnappers in Arabic for the treatment they received in captivity.
Before the truce of November 2023, Hamas also forced its release in hostage Danielle Aloni, who was retained in captivity with her 5 -year -old daughter Emilia, to write a long letter thanking the terrorists of Hamas for “extraordinary humanity” then then that they were held hostage in Gaza.