Hamas cynically forced former hostage Keith Siegel to write ‘thank you letter’ to captors before release

Hamas on Sunday revealed a letter purportedly written by former Israeli hostage Keith Siegel earlier than his launch, through which he thanked his captors and criticized the Israeli authorities.

Siegel’s household requested that Israeli media not reproduce the letter. “The Hamas terrorists who held Keith pressured him to write down them an in depth ‘thanks’ letter. That is one in all many examples of Hamas’ merciless and cynical conduct, and the urgency of returning all of the hostages again to Israel.”

In keeping with Walla Information, the letter incorporates translation errors that point out Siegel, a twin United States-Israeli citizen, was dictated a textual content in Arabic which he was pressured to translate into Hebrew.

Within the letter dated Jan. 18, Siegel states that his captors handled him effectively and thanked them for “guarding” him. As well as, the letter attacked the Israeli authorities for inflicting “pointless harm to either side” by refusing a hostage deal.

Over the previous months, Hamas repeatedly used propaganda movies of hostages criticizing the federal government as a instrument of psychological warfare in opposition to Israel.

Hamas later launched video footage of the discharge of Siegel, Yarden Bibas and Ofer Calderon final Saturday. The video exhibits Siegel placing ending touches on the letter earlier than signing the “launch paperwork” produced by Hamas for all hostages launched throughout this hostage deal.

He was additionally pressured to report a video message thanking his captors and wishing them effectively for the longer term.

Throughout this month’s hostage deal, Hamas additionally gave the hostages “reward baggage.” In one other cynical transfer, Siegel was given two baggage, one for his spouse, Aviva, who was kidnapped with him and launched in the course of the first hostage deal in Nov. 2023.

Siegel was additionally ordered to write down: “My guards throughout this era took care of all my wants, food and drinks, medication, nutritional vitamins, eye drops, a blood strain measuring gadget and extra. In addition they made positive I obtained a physician’s checkup once I felt unwell for a very long time. … They made positive I had meals that suited my well being wants.”

After his launch, Siegel recounted that regardless of being a vegetarian, he ate meat on the uncommon events he had the chance, as he was given little or no meals.

The final time he ate earlier than his launch was Friday afternoon, he mentioned. In the course of the launch on Saturday, Siegel appeared frail and skinny and needed to be helped up and down the steps to the stage put up by Hamas for the ceremony.

This text was initially revealed by All Israel Information.