Tel Aviv [Israel], February 1 (ANI/TPS): Israeli officials confirmed on Friday that the three hostages to return on Saturday are Yarden Bibas, Ofer Kalderon and Keith Siegel.
Bibas, 35, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with wife Shiri, and their two sons, Ariel and Kfir, who at nine months old was the youngest hostage. A video of the terrified Shiri protectively wrapping her children in a blanket while being taken to Gaza became an iconic image of the war. The last sign of life from Yarden was in a Hamas propaganda video in November showing Yarden being told that his wife and children were killed in an Israeli airstrike – though Hamas never provided evidence of their deaths.
Kalderon, 53, was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his daughters, Sahar and Erez, 16 and 12 respectively. The daughters were freed during a temporary ceasefire in November 2023. Sahar said she met him in a tunnel and that his physical and mental condition was very poor. Ex-wife, Hadas Calderon was leading the campaign for Ofer’s release.
Siegel, 65, originally from North Carolina, was abducted with his wife, Aviva, from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where they have lived for 42 years. An occupational therapist, his last sign of life was in a Hamas propaganda video in April 2024. Aviva was released during the November 2023 ceasefire.
The first phase of the ceasefire is supposed to see a total of 33 Israeli hostages freed over six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel. The exact number will depend on how many are alive.
The fate of the remaining 65 hostages will be determined by negotiations to begin on the 16th day of the ceasefire. Critics say the phased approach condemns hostages not freed in the beginning to open-ended captivity and undermines Israel’s war gains.
At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 82 remaining hostages, 35 have been declared dead. (ANI/TPS)
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