A pair of freed Israeli hostages recalled the torture they and others endured in Gaza as they joined the thousands marching atNew York City's Israel Day paradeon Sunday. Keith and Aviva Siegeljoined 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, giventhe horrors he enduredand 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 wasfreed 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 ofthe 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.
