60 Minutes: Freed Israeli Hostages Recount Harrowing Ordeal in Hamas Captivity

[Social Media]

 

After more than 15 months in captivity and the heartbreaking task of burying his wife and two young children, freed Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas made a public plea to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His message was clear—end the fighting in Gaza to secure the return of the remaining hostages taken on October 7, 2023. Despite his appeal, the ceasefire with Hamas ended this month, and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza resumed.

 

Pure evil! Released hostage Keith Siegal, speaking on @60Minutes, describes how he witnessed "literal torture" and "sexual assault" of female hostages, which he was forced to watch by his Hamas captors!
 

Pure evil! Released hostage Keith Siegal, speaking on @60Minutes, describes how he witnessed "literal torture" and "sexual assault" of female hostages, which he was forced to watch by his Hamas captors! pic.twitter.com/jIcoHh7u42

— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) March 31, 2025

Every explosion, Bibas warned, puts the surviving hostages in grave danger. Having spent much of his captivity in Gaza’s tunnels, he recalled the terror of the bombings.

 

"They (Shiri, Kfir, Ariel) were m*rdered in cold blood. With bare hands. They (Gazans) used to tell me : It doesn't matter. You get a new wife. Get new kids. Better wife, better kids. They said it to me many times."

"They (Shiri, Kfir, Ariel) were m*rdered in cold blood. With bare hands.

They (Gazans) used to tell me : It doesn't matter. You get a new wife. Get new kids. Better wife, better kids. They said it to me many times."

Yarden Bibas interview on "60 minutes". pic.twitter.com/84sOSwb13o

— lelemSLP (@lelemSLP) March 31, 2025

 

"You don't know when it's gonna happen. And when it happens, you're afraid for your life," Bibas said. "The whole earth would move like an earthquake, but underground."

 

Bibas, his wife Shiri, and their two red-haired sons—four-year-old Ariel and nine-month-old Kfir—were among the victims of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, an assault that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 civilians and soldiers, with 251 individuals abducted. 

 

 

During his captivity, Bibas was forced to appear on camera and told that his wife and sons had perished in an Israeli airstrike. However, Israeli officials later stated that forensic evidence indicated his children were murdered by their captors. "They were all murdered in cold blood, bare hands," Bibas recounted. "They [Hamas] used to tell me, 'Oh, doesn't matter. You'll get a new wife. Get new kids. Better wife. Better kids.'"

 

Shortly after his release in January, Hamas returned the bodies of his wife and children as part of a ceasefire agreement. Since then, Bibas has become an outspoken advocate for the remaining hostages, writing to Netanyahu in a desperate bid to stop the violence. He does not believe that further fighting will lead to the release of the hostages.

 

Instead, he now hopes to reach the ears of former U.S. President Donald Trump. "I know he can help," Bibas said. "I'm here because of Trump. I'm here only because of him. I think he's the only one who can stop this war again." He urged Trump to mediate between Netanyahu and Hamas to negotiate another ceasefire.

 

Bibas also fears for the safety of his best friend, David Cunio, and Cunio’s brother, Ariel. Cunio was kidnapped alongside his wife, Sharon, and their children, who were later freed in the first ceasefire of November 2023. However, David and Ariel remain in captivity. "Probably the hardest thing: I have to move [on] with my life, and David is not with me," Bibas said. "I lost my wife and kids. Sharon must not lose her husband."

 

Bibas is not the only freed hostage pushing for a ceasefire. Keith Siegel, an Israeli-American released in January, is also advocating for the return of the remaining hostages. He and his wife, Aviva, were kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, near the Gaza border, and taken into tunnels. "We were gasping for our breath," Keith Siegel recalled. Aviva remained with him for 51 days before being released during a temporary ceasefire in 2023. While in captivity, they witnessed unspeakable abuse. "I witnessed a young woman who was being tortured by the terrorists. I mean literal, you know, torture, not just in the figurative sense," Siegel said.

 

He also described how female hostages were sexually assaulted while other captives were forced to watch. Conditions deteriorated even further after the early ceasefire collapsed. "The terrorists became very mean, and very cruel, and violent," Siegel said. He was beaten, starved, and tormented by his captors, who would eat in front of him while depriving him of food. Once a month, he was given half a bucket of cold water to wash himself.

 

He described how his spirit was crushed. "I felt that I was completely dependent on the terrorists, that my life relied on them—whether they were gonna give me food, bring me water, protect me from the mobs that would lynch me," he said. "I was left alone several times, and I was very, very scared that maybe they won’t come back, and I'll be left there. And what do I do then?"

 

Now home, Aviva Siegel remains tormented by the plight of two neighbors, 27-year-old twins Gali and Zivi Berman, who are still in captivity. "There needs to be a deal that will bring them back and finish with this whole thing," she said.

 

An estimated 24 hostages are still believed to be alive in Gaza, and for those who have returned, their fight is far from over. As they continue to relive their trauma, their voices grow louder in their plea for a resolution that will bring an end to the suffering of those left behind.

 

 

 

 

Based on a report by CBS  2025-04-02

 

 

[Tug]

I watched the program…..absolutely horrifying.hammas needs to be exterminated and the Israeli need to stop killing Palestinians….i think they got the point.ENOUGH!

[Scouse123]

57 minutes ago, Tug said:

I watched the program…..absolutely horrifying.hammas needs to be exterminated and the Israeli need to stop killing Palestinians….i think they got the point.ENOUGH!

 

Hamas is a highly radical terrorist organisation.

 

They will never stop.

 

Do you think, for all their complaining, the Arab neighbours want to see them controlling a Palestinian state?

 

Not a chance, they are afraid of it overspilling into their back yards.

[thaipo7]

2 hours ago, Tug said:

I watched the program…..absolutely horrifying.hammas needs to be exterminated and the Israeli need to stop killing Palestinians….i think they got the point.ENOUGH!

Wrong again Tug.  Hamas will never stop.  

[loong]

1 hour ago, Scouse123 said:

 

Hamas is a highly radical terrorist organisation.

 

They will never stop.

 

Do you think, for all their complaining, the Arab neighbours want to see them controlling a Palestinian state?

 

Not a chance, they are afraid of it overspilling into their back yards.

 

I completely agree with you.

When the surrounding Arab countries attacked the Jews in 1948, Jordan took control of the West Bank and Egypt took Gaza. At no time did Jordan or Egypt consider handing control of these 2 areas to enable the Palestinians to declare their own state. Strange that there were no protests about Jordan occupying the West Bank and Egypt occupying Gaza! No marches calling to 'Free Palestine'!

Mind you, perhaps they knew of the problems that would cause. Look how it turned out after Israel completely withdrew from Gaza in 2005.

[Yagoda]

Bomb Iran.

[black tabby12345]

4 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

 

Hamas is a highly radical terrorist organisation.

 

They will never stop.

 

Do you think, for all their complaining, the Arab neighbours want to see them controlling a Palestinian state?

 

Not a chance, they are afraid of it overspilling into their back yards.

 

Double standards in Arab world.

When PLO was still active in 80s, most financial sponsors(neighboring countries)  didn't want those men come into their own land.

Saudi Arabia disarmed their combatants while giving  huge amount of fighting fund to that organization.

[black tabby12345]

One irony.

In order to weaken Hamas fundamentally, it takes Israel-Palestine reconciliation(assessment).

As they lose ground to exists(support basis gone).

But is most unlikely.

The more Israel militarily strikes Palestinians, greater support they gain from the Gaza refugees.

 

[Captor]

12 hours ago, Social Media said:

 

After more than 15 months in captivity and the heartbreaking task of burying his wife and two young children, freed Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas made a public plea to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His message was clear—end the fighting in Gaza to secure the return of the remaining hostages taken on October 7, 2023. Despite his appeal, the ceasefire with Hamas ended this month, and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza resumed.

 

Pure evil! Released hostage Keith Siegal, speaking on @60Minutes, describes how he witnessed "literal torture" and "sexual assault" of female hostages, which he was forced to watch by his Hamas captors!
 

Every explosion, Bibas warned, puts the surviving hostages in grave danger. Having spent much of his captivity in Gaza’s tunnels, he recalled the terror of the bombings.

 

"They (Shiri, Kfir, Ariel) were m*rdered in cold blood. With bare hands. They (Gazans) used to tell me : It doesn't matter. You get a new wife. Get new kids. Better wife, better kids. They said it to me many times."

 

"You don't know when it's gonna happen. And when it happens, you're afraid for your life," Bibas said. "The whole earth would move like an earthquake, but underground."

 

Bibas, his wife Shiri, and their two red-haired sons—four-year-old Ariel and nine-month-old Kfir—were among the victims of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, an assault that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 civilians and soldiers, with 251 individuals abducted. 

 

 

During his captivity, Bibas was forced to appear on camera and told that his wife and sons had perished in an Israeli airstrike. However, Israeli officials later stated that forensic evidence indicated his children were murdered by their captors. "They were all murdered in cold blood, bare hands," Bibas recounted. "They [Hamas] used to tell me, 'Oh, doesn't matter. You'll get a new wife. Get new kids. Better wife. Better kids.'"

 

Shortly after his release in January, Hamas returned the bodies of his wife and children as part of a ceasefire agreement. Since then, Bibas has become an outspoken advocate for the remaining hostages, writing to Netanyahu in a desperate bid to stop the violence. He does not believe that further fighting will lead to the release of the hostages.

 

Instead, he now hopes to reach the ears of former U.S. President Donald Trump. "I know he can help," Bibas said. "I'm here because of Trump. I'm here only because of him. I think he's the only one who can stop this war again." He urged Trump to mediate between Netanyahu and Hamas to negotiate another ceasefire.

 

Bibas also fears for the safety of his best friend, David Cunio, and Cunio’s brother, Ariel. Cunio was kidnapped alongside his wife, Sharon, and their children, who were later freed in the first ceasefire of November 2023. However, David and Ariel remain in captivity. "Probably the hardest thing: I have to move [on] with my life, and David is not with me," Bibas said. "I lost my wife and kids. Sharon must not lose her husband."

 

Bibas is not the only freed hostage pushing for a ceasefire. Keith Siegel, an Israeli-American released in January, is also advocating for the return of the remaining hostages. He and his wife, Aviva, were kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, near the Gaza border, and taken into tunnels. "We were gasping for our breath," Keith Siegel recalled. Aviva remained with him for 51 days before being released during a temporary ceasefire in 2023. While in captivity, they witnessed unspeakable abuse. "I witnessed a young woman who was being tortured by the terrorists. I mean literal, you know, torture, not just in the figurative sense," Siegel said.

 

He also described how female hostages were sexually assaulted while other captives were forced to watch. Conditions deteriorated even further after the early ceasefire collapsed. "The terrorists became very mean, and very cruel, and violent," Siegel said. He was beaten, starved, and tormented by his captors, who would eat in front of him while depriving him of food. Once a month, he was given half a bucket of cold water to wash himself.

 

He described how his spirit was crushed. "I felt that I was completely dependent on the terrorists, that my life relied on them—whether they were gonna give me food, bring me water, protect me from the mobs that would lynch me," he said. "I was left alone several times, and I was very, very scared that maybe they won’t come back, and I'll be left there. And what do I do then?"

 

Now home, Aviva Siegel remains tormented by the plight of two neighbors, 27-year-old twins Gali and Zivi Berman, who are still in captivity. "There needs to be a deal that will bring them back and finish with this whole thing," she said.

 

An estimated 24 hostages are still believed to be alive in Gaza, and for those who have returned, their fight is far from over. As they continue to relive their trauma, their voices grow louder in their plea for a resolution that will bring an end to the suffering of those left behind.

 

 

 

 

Based on a report by CBS  2025-04-02

 

 

Why do they always write FORMER president Trump? Am i missing something?