Hamas Releases Three Israeli Hostages in Gaza

Hamas has released three Israeli hostages in Gaza, marking a significant development in ongoing negotiations amid the conflict.

Hamas has released three Israeli hostages in accordance with the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which started on January 19.

Yarden Bibas, 34, and Ofer Kalderon, 53, were released during a ceremony in southern Gaza. In a separate event held in Gaza City, US-Israeli citizen Keith Siegel, 65, was also freed.

This marks the fourth instance of hostages being released since the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas commenced on January 19th.

In Tel Aviv, BBC’s Alice Cuddy reports that the orderly scenes stand in “stark contrast” to Thursday’s chaotic handover.

At a later time, Israel will release over 180 Palestinians who have been incarcerated in Israeli prisons.

Compared to Thursday’s chaotic hostage release, this one was swift and orderly.

Today, we observed two lines of Hamas gunmen moving a small crowd away.

The Red Cross promptly arrived on the scene, and the two men were brought onto a stage before being handed over and taken away. This undoubtedly comes as a great relief.

The family of Yarden Bibas expressed mixed feelings regarding his release today.

While it’s a relief to see him coming home, the fact that his wife Shiri and his two sons have not returned with him dims hopes for their survival.

Earlier in the conflict, Hamas claimed that an Israeli airstrike had killed the three individuals; however, the Israeli military stated it could not verify this information, leaving some room for hope.

Today marks the start of proceedings, with plans to release over 180 Palestinian prisoners. More than 100 of these individuals are from Gaza, and around 70 have been serving life sentences or long terms in Israeli jails.

Additionally, we anticipate the reopening of the Rafah crossing with Egypt—referred to by Gaza as its gateway to the world—to facilitate medical evacuations.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) announced that released hostage Ofer Kalderon is now being flown to the hospital in an Israeli Air Force helicopter, where he will reunite with his family and receive medical care.

The IDF adds that the hostage released with Kalderon, Yarden Bibas, along with his family members, are “scheduled to depart soon for a flight to the hospital.”

This morning, we’ve been observing a live feed of two military helicopters stationed at an Israeli base. One of them took off just a few minutes ago.

The audience at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv erupted into cheers when Keith Siegel, who holds dual US-Israeli citizenship, appeared on the live feed.

He was escorted onto a stage by armed, masked fighters at the Gaza port. After waving to those present, he was then guided into a waiting Red Cross vehicle.

“He’s a hero, he’s a hero,” chanted some members of the crowd.

BBC