The Palestinian armed group Hamas has announced the names of three hostages it intends to release on Saturday as part of the ceasefire agreement with Israel.
The individuals set for release are Israelis Ofer Kalderon, 54, and Yarden Bibas, 34, along with American-Israeli Keith Siegel, 65.
Mr. Bibas is the father of Kfir, who was just 10 months old at the time of his abduction by Hamas. His wife, Shiri, and their elder son, Ariel, then four years old, were also taken hostage.
Israel’s prime minister’s office confirmed that it has received the list of hostages. In return, Israel will release another group of Palestinian prisoners. This will be the fourth exchange of hostages for prisoners since the ceasefire took effect on January 19.
Hamas seized approximately 251 hostages during its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, an assault that resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people.
The attack ignited a war that has left Gaza in devastation. According to the health ministry run by Hamas in Gaza, Israel’s 15-month military campaign has resulted in 47,460 Palestinian deaths.
Stories of the Hostages Taken by Hamas from Israel
Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas were kidnapped from Nir Oz, while Keith Siegel was abducted from Kfar Aza.
Mr. Bibas’ wife, Shiri, along with their two sons, Ariel, now five, and Kfir, now two, were also taken captive. Their current whereabouts remain unknown.
With their release, the total number of hostages freed under the ceasefire agreement will rise to 18. On Saturday, 183 Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club stated that among them, 111 were detained after October 7, 2023.
So far, 400 Palestinian prisoners have been freed in exchange—ranging from individuals serving long sentences for bombings and other attacks to teenagers held without charges.
Hamas Releases Hostages (Photo: AFP)The majority of released prisoners have returned to the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. Meanwhile, many of those convicted of serious offenses have been deported.
The most recent exchange, which occurred on Thursday, highlighted the fragile nature of the agreement. Israel briefly delayed the release of Palestinian prisoners in response to its outrage over the manner in which eight hostages were treated upon their release.
Seven of the eight were freed in Khan Younis, where crowds, including many taking pictures with mobile phones, surged forward as gunmen led the captives to Red Cross vehicles for their transfer to Israel.
In a separate release in Jabaliya, the eighth hostage was taken through a scene of rubble caused by Israeli airstrikes, placed on a platform in a stage-managed event, and then handed over to the Red Cross.
Following these incidents, Israel’s prime minister’s office stated that mediators had provided “a commitment that a safe exit will be guaranteed for our hostages” yet to be released.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with former British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari, expressing that he was “overjoyed” by her release, according to a statement from the Damari family’s spokesperson.
During a phone call with Mr. Starmer on Friday morning, Emily—who was freed on January 19—and her mother thanked the prime minister and all those who had advocated for her release, the statement said.
The Damaris informed Mr. Starmer that Emily had, at one point, been held in facilities belonging to the main UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, and had been denied medical treatment.
They urged the UK prime minister to exert “maximum pressure” on Hamas and Unrwa to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access to the remaining hostages still held in Gaza, the statement concluded.