Tragic separation: Hostage Keith Siegel loses his mother while in captivity 

The mother of Keith Siegel, a 65-year-old US-Israeli hostage held in Gaza, has passed away while he remains in captivity, his family announced.

In a poignant Facebook post, Siegel’s daughter, Elan, wrote: “My father’s mother died, and he cannot say goodbye to her because he has been in Hamas captivity for more than a year. He cannot stand with us tomorrow in the cemetery, he cannot say goodbye to the woman who raised and loved him his whole life.”

Elan also expressed anguish at the silence of the global community, saying, “A violent and murderous terror organization dictates our lives — from Gaza to the United States, and the whole world is silent.”

Keith Siegel and his wife, Aviva, were abducted from their home in Kfar Aza during Hamas’s October 7 attack. The assault, which claimed numerous lives and saw homes burned, left their community devastated. The Siegels were driven into Gaza in their car alongside a neighbor and her two children.

Aviva Siegel was released on November 26 as part of a Qatar- and US-brokered ceasefire deal. However, Keith Siegel remains in captivity, enduring a prolonged separation from his family as they face this additional tragedy.

* Times of Israel contributed to this article.