October 7 · Personal story
Adrienne (Aviva) Siegel
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, southern Israel
Current outcome
Released alive · November 26, 2023
Released alive after 51 days in captivity.
01
Life before October 7
Aviva Siegel, also known as Adrienne, was born in South Africa and came to Israel as a child. She met Keith in Israel, where he had arrived from the United States to volunteer and she was completing a year of community service before army service. The Times of Israel reported that they later lived in Kfar Aza for four decades, raised four children and became grandparents to five. Aviva worked as a kindergarten teacher.
02
Abduction
On October 7, 2023, attackers entered the couple’s Kfar Aza home and took Aviva and Keith to Gaza in their own car, according to Aviva’s account in The Times of Israel. She described being moved from the home with her husband and said he was shoved hard enough to break his ribs. CNN later reported that the two were taken from their home and held underground. The abduction placed Aviva in a captivity that began alongside Keith’s, in a place far from the family and community they had built.
03
Captivity
For 50 days, Aviva and Keith were held together in homes and tunnels, CNN reported in 2025. In her earlier account, Aviva described moving through thirteen locations and being kept in a tunnel where poor ventilation made speech difficult. She recalled that Keith called out for help when their captors told them to shout if they needed something, but no one came. In February 2024 she also spoke publicly about what she had witnessed happening to other women and younger captives, choosing to describe her own observations rather than speak for them. She said she had initially saved parts of her story for Keith, expecting his release soon. She chose to speak about what she had seen and to advocate for the hostages still held.
04
Return
After 50 days together, Aviva and Keith were separated. Aviva later recalled that a guard told her she would go to Israel the next day while Keith would remain; she asked to see him before leaving. She was released on November 26, 2023, after 51 days in captivity. The Times of Israel reported that she learned after her return that her son Shai, who also lived in Kfar Aza, had survived the attack. Keith remained captive for more than a year after her release, so the family reunion she hoped for was delayed. His release on February 1, 2025, ended that separation. Aviva’s own return was therefore both a release from captivity and the first stage in waiting for her husband.
05
After return
Aviva decided not to remain silent about what she had seen. The Times of Israel reported that she spoke at public rallies and parliamentary hearings, advocating for hostages still held in Gaza and describing her own testimony. She campaigned for Keith while he remained captive and prepared a book of messages from people she had met, including Israeli and U.S. leaders, for him to read after release. In April 2025, she and Keith appeared together on CNN and spoke about captivity and the importance of sharing their experience.