First American-Israeli hostage, father of youngest captive among 3 released by Hamas as part of cease-fire deal

Hamas released three more hostages Saturday, including the first American to be freed under the current cease-fire deal and the father of the terror group’s youngest captive. Yarden Bibas, and Ofer Kalderon, 54, were received in Khan Younis around 8:30 a.m.local time by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has been coordinating the handovers in the Gaza Strip with Hamas.Keith Siegel, a US-Israeli dual citizen from Chapel Hill, NC, was released nearly two hours later in Gaza City.“Finally, after 484 long, terrifying days and nights, full of immense worry for our father, we can breathe again,” Siegel’s family said in a statement, according to the Times of Israel.“Thank you, President Trump, for bringing our father back to us.

There are now 79 hostages who are also waiting to be reunited with their loved ones.Our hope rests with you.”In both venues, Siegel, Bibas and Kalderon were escorted by their captors and paraded on stage during the hand-off ceremony.Siegel, 65, was seen holding the bizarre “gift bag” — which reportedly included photos of them in captivity, a commemorative photo of Gaza itself, and some kind of certificate — before he was handed over to Red Cross officials.

Bibas and Kalderon only held a certificate.Siegel was ripped from his home during the Oct.7, 2023, Hamas massacre, which sparked the ongoing war in Gaza. Siegel’s wife, Aviva, who was also taken captive during the cross-border rampage, was freed in November 2023 during the first hostage swap between Israel and Hamas. His release marks the first time an American hostage has been freed under the 42-day truce, which brought more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza to a halt.Footage shared by the nonprofit Stand With Us showed Siegel’s family members celebrating the release with a bottle of champagne.Bibas, 35, was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, as was his wife, Shiri, and the couple’s young children, Ariel, currently 5, and Kfir, who was 9-...

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Publisher: New York Post

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