Hamas said on Friday that it will free three hostages, including the father of the youngest abductees from the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, along with a dual US citizen and a dual French citizen.
Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel, and Ofer Kalderon will be freed on Saturday as part of the ongoing hostage-prisoner exchange, according to Abu Obeida, spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing.
Bibas is the father of nine-month-old baby Kfir, who was during the abduction, and four-year-old Ariel. His wife, Shiri, was taken along with him. Late 2023, Hamas announced that it executed the mother and the two children via airstrikes. Until now, this claim has not been verified. Footage from the abduction showed that Shiri clutched her children as she was taken, while Yarden was seen bloodied from hammer blows to his head. Keith Siegel, the husband was an Israeli-American, and he and his wife, Aviva, were kidnapped. She was released in a previous exchange back in November 2023. Kalderon’s two children were let go in that exchange. His family had mixed feelings over his release.
On Thursday, Hamas released three Israeli and five Thai hostages, as well as released 110 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody. As part of the ceasefire agreement, 33 captives are expected to be exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian detainees. To date, 15 hostages and 400 prisoners have been exchanged. According to Hamas, eight of the 33 hostages are confirmed to be dead.
Meanwhile, it has opened up more humanitarian aid into Gaza. But tensions remain; concerns over Israel’s stance on the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA may influence future operations.
