Freed hostage Aviva Siegel expressed her intense joy over her husband Keith's release from captivity and called for the immediate release of the 58 remaining hostages, speaking Monday at The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference in New York City.
This year, Aviva was joined on stage by Keith - in stark contrast to 2024, when she had spoken alone while he was still held captive by Hamas.
"I want to start by saying Keith is here. He is here sitting next to me and it's a miracle," she said.
"I'm the happiest to have Keith home, but I am here talking for Tali [Berman, who is] - Gali and Zivi's mom," she said, holding up a poster of the two young men, still held captive by Hamas. "Two twins from Kibbutz Kfar Aza - they deserve to be happy too."
Alon Ohel's mother showed her a video of Alon playing the piano, and it brought her to tears, Aviva said. "I started crying, because I know what it is like being in Gaza with nothing, hardly a mattress on the floor to lie down," she said, as Keith held up a poster with Alon's face.
"We want this war to end and we want President [Donald] Trump to bring them all back - all the 58," she said. "There are families here [whose] loved ones who aren't alive are still in Gaza. They need to come back."
"There are the [hostages] that are alive - I am here and Keith is here, screaming for them to come home. We need your help."
Asked about his experience in captivity, Keith said that "it's very very hard to describe the experience in words - the horrors, the violence, the abuse, being in tunnels [where] we could hardly breathe and felt like death was close."
"Being left alone, no food, no water, no way of getting help if we would have needed it, and witnessing torture of other hostages, including women, witnessing sexual abuse of women."
He also experienced verbal sexual abuse in captivity, Keith said.
"Just getting through the day is very, very challenging."
While he was alone in captivity for six months, with no one to share the difficulties of being held hostage with, Keith also spoke about his time in captivity with Matan Angrest and Omri Miran - holding up a picture of both the men for the audience to see.
"We helped each other to get through the days," he said of his time with Matan. "Seriously injured, Matan [has been] in captivity almost 600 days. [He] has not received the medical attention that he needs," he said.
"I think about Matan every day, and we need all of the 58 hostages - Matan and everybody else, back as soon as possible."
He spoke about Omri, noting that he has not seen his two and four-year-old daughters in nearly 600 days. "That is torture," he said.
Suffering Physical, mental, emotional abuse
"They are in a life-threatening situation day in and day out. They are suffering physical, mental, and emotional abuse. As time goes by, as each day goes by, their situation is deteriorating."
Keith also described what it was like to say goodbye to those remaining in captivity when he was moved or released. He said that when parting from Omri, the two hugged tightly, before wishing each other goodbye and good luck.
Keith urged Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "get negotiations moving."
"Sign an agreement to bring all the 58 hostages home, to end the war, and let's get this behind us."
Aviva called on the public to continue to support the hostages and their families.
"We just want to ask everybody to continue to help us. We need you - we need to be together, to be strong. And they need to come home," she said.