Former hostages Iair Horn, Alexandre Sasha Troufanov, and Keith Siegel made their first public statement Tuesday evening in Hostage Square, warning that military pressure endangers captives' lives and urging an immediate deal to rescue all 59 remaining hostages in Gaza in a single operation.
The speakers offered firsthand testimony about the dangers facing captives. They described feeling abandoned when the previous ceasefire collapsed and warned that military pressure places hostages in direct danger.
Former hostage Alexandre Sasha Troufanov stated: "All my life I've been told there's no one wiser than someone with experience. And here I am before you, as a hostage who survived and was released in the latest agreement along with 32 other hostages, telling you: military activity endangers the lives of the hostages and harms them directly! Nevertheless, this morning I was horrified to discover that decision-makers are choosing not to listen.
"Since I returned, and especially since this morning, I can't stop thinking about my friends who are still there – Ariel, David, Rom, and all my brothers and sisters who are hostages, who I'm certain are going through hell because of the decision to return to fighting," Troufanov continued.
He emphasized that "The plan of the decision-makers to drag out the fighting as much as possible and apply military pressure on Hamas for the return of the hostages is based on the assumption that the hostages have endless endurance to survive there. They're not posters, they're human beings, and their time is running out. Every minute there is endless hell and danger of death."
Iair Horn, whose brother Eitan remains in captivity, added: "Military pressure will not save the hostages; we know this from our own experience. We are here to support all the hostages' families and all the hostages still held in Gaza. I want you to hear from me that I and all the other hostages cannot truly move forward and heal as long as they remain in captivity. My younger brother Eitan was left behind in hell, and I feel that a third of myself was left behind."
Horn expressed concerns about recently released videos showing signs of life from various hostages: "I feel that all the videos released recently, which you also saw – of me and Eitan, of Matan Angrest, of Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David – all the videos that for us were signs of life, I hope will not become final farewell videos."
Keith Siegel, who endured 484 days in captivity, recounted the horrific conditions: "I was subjected to subhuman conditions without air, without light, without sanitation, without sufficient food and water, in tunnels where I couldn't stand up. I was completely cut off from all the people I love and didn't know which of my beloved family members and friends survived the terrible massacre on Oct. 7. For 484 days I relied only on armed terrorists for every basic need to survive. I witnessed barbaric and cruel acts of violence that I didn't believe were possible against human beings in this era."
Siegel vividly described how hostages suffer when fighting resumes: "On December 1, 2023, five long days after Aviva was separated from me and released, the ceasefire exploded. In one moment, a crazy noise of fighter jets, missile fire, and bombs falling very close to the abandoned apartment where I was held alone, locked inside a room, without the ability to defend myself, began. Thoughts about what might happen in another moment didn't leave me, and I felt the immediate danger to my life.
"I remember how the terrorists immediately became cruel, very nervous, and their treatment worsened instantly," Siegel continued. "One of the terrorists arrived pointing a weapon at me and started beating me. He was very angry and took it all out on me. He kicked, cursed, and spat at me. I experienced severe violence. Today, a year and four months later, the ceasefire has collapsed again. I think about the 59 hostages still held in Gaza. About how afraid they are, not only of the terrorists' cruelty and IDF attacks but also of the collapse of negotiations that will prevent their return home."
Siegel concluded with an appeal in English to US President Donald Trump: "President Trump, I will forever be grateful that you saved me from the hell in Gaza. I know that even now you won't give up on a deal that will bring about the release of all 59 hostages still there. I call on the mediating countries and the international community not to stop and to pressure all sides to return to the negotiating table immediately to bring about the release of all the hostages, the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for burial."
