Three hostages back in Israel after 484 days
Three kidnapped Israelis Yarden Bibas, Ofer Kalderon and Keith Siegel are back in Israel after 484 days in captivity, IDF confirmed on Saturday.
Yarden Bibas back in Israel
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 tunnels and that his physical and mental condition was very poor. Ex-wife, Hadas kalderon was leading the campaign for Ofer’s release.
Ofer Kalderon
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.
Saturday’s handover to the Red Cross was executed swiftly during the morning hours, following mediators’ stern reprimand to Hamas over Thursday’s chaos. On Thursday, Israeli authorities briefly suspended the release of 110 Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel after Hamas forced hostages Gadi Moses and Arbel Yehud to walk by foot through a mob of Palestinians in Khan Yunis to waiting Red Cross vehicles.
The terrorists were released after Qatari and Egyptian mediators provided assurances that the scenes would not be repeated.
Meanwhile, the Israel Prison Service was preparing to release 183 Palestinian terrorists, including several serving life sentences for murder. They have been brought to the main reception centers in the ‘Ofer’ and ‘Ktziot’ prisons where Red Cross representatives will identify each one. Once the hostages are freed, the Red Cross will take the prisoners to release points in Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem. Others being deported to the Gaza Strip or to third countries via Gaza will be taken to the Kerem Shalom border crossing.
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 79 remaining hostages, 35 have been declared dead.
Keith Siegel turned over to the Red Cross by Hamas
After their father, Keith Siegel, arrived in Israel, his family issued a statement: “At this moment, our father is stepping on Israeli soil and we are experiencing indescribable emotions.
Finally, we can breathe after 484 long, frightening nights filled with tremendous worry for our father.
We want to thank the Israeli and United States governments for executing this blessed deal – one that focuses on human life and Jewish and Israeli values.
Our father was brutally kidnapped from this land, and today he returns to us. As citizens, we must ensure that all hostages return to their families for rehabilitation, and that those murdered receive proper burial in this land.
We extend our gratitude to the amazing IDF soldiers and security forces who risk their lives and bodies. We send our condolences to the bereaved families who lost their most precious ones for all of us. You are forever in our hearts.
Only together will we succeed in bringing everyone home!”
President Isaac Herzog said: “Yarden Bibas, Ofer Kalderon, and Keith Siegel are finally home. We have worried and waited for them for so long.
Yarden’s reunion with his family is heartbreaking. We all remain deeply concerned about his beloved wife Shiri and children Ariel and Kfir Bibas – who have touched the hearts of our entire nation. The people of Israel stand with Yarden and the entire family in great concern and prayer.
Ofer’s children, Erez and Sahar, were returned in the first deal to their warrior mother Hadas and the rest of the family. Erez celebrated his Bar Mitzvah and read from the Torah several months ago, while his father was still in Gaza.
The heroic Aviva, Keith’s wife, was also returned in the first deal to their four children and five grandchildren. Since then, we have seen her at countless international meetings, crying out and working tirelessly for his return.
They all deserve time for rehabilitation and rebuilding their lives, and all hostages deserve to return home quickly. We will not rest until we bring back all our sisters and brothers from the hell of captivity in Gaza – every last one of them!”
TPS
