American-Israeli Keith Siegel, 2 different hostages launched in Gaza in third change of Israel-Hamas ceasefire

American-Israeli Keith Siegel, 2 different hostages launched in Gaza in third change of Israel-Hamas ceasefire

Tel Aviv — American-Israeli twin nationwide Keith Siegel was amongst three hostages launched by Hamas militants within the war-torn Gaza Strip on Saturday, greater than 15 months after they had been taken captive by the group throughout its Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist assault. Siegel was freed in Gaza Metropolis about two hours after Israelis Yarden Bibas and Ofer Calderon had been launched within the southern metropolis of Khan Younis. 

The Israeli navy confirmed that every one three hostages had been in its care and again in Israel after first being handed over to Crimson Cross personnel in Gaza. Siegel appeared to have misplaced weight throughout his captivity, however he waved and smiled as Hamas militants ready at hand him over to Crimson Cross workers. In a press release, the Israel Protection Forces stated the three freed males could be reunited with relations and brought for medical checks and care at hospitals in Israel.

Each handovers had been performed shortly Saturday and with out the chaos seen throughout the earlier, third prisoner change, which angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who delayed the corresponding Israeli launch of Palestinian prisoners by a number of hours. 

Hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza City
Hamas militants stand subsequent to Keith Siegel, a U.S.-Israeli hostage held in Gaza because the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist assault, earlier than handing him over to Crimson Cross workers as a part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza Metropolis, Feb. 1, 2025.

Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERS


Israel was anticipated to free about 90 extra Palestinians from its prisons on Saturday in change for the discharge of the three hostages, as stipulated within the ceasefire settlement that took impact on January 19.

Keith Siegel is 1st American freed throughout new ceasefire

Initially from North Carolina, Siegel moved to Israel 4 a long time in the past. He was amongst seven Americans taken as hostages into Gaza throughout Hamas’ unprecedented Oct. 7 assault, which noticed militants kill round 1,200 folks in southern Israel and take 251 others captive.

Israel’s navy assault on Hamas in response has killed greater than 47,400 folks, in accordance with the Palestinian territory’s Hamas-run Ministry of Well being, left total neighborhoods leveled and brought about a humanitarian disaster by displacing nearly the whole enclave’s inhabitants and destroying its infrastructure.

White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated in a press release Saturday that Individuals are celebrating the return of Siegel.

“President Trump and his administration have labored diligently to safe their launch and are dedicated to releasing all remaining hostages,” she stated.

It’s believed that a minimum of two of the six American hostages nonetheless held in Gaza are alive — Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35, who grew up in Bloomfield, Connecticut, and Edan Alexander, 19, from Tenafly, New Jersey. 4 different Individuals are believed to have been killed in captivity.

Siegel’s spouse Aviva was additionally taken hostage by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, however was launched in an earlier hostage and prisoner swap in November 2023.

Chatting with CBS Information a few 12 months after her launch, Aviva Siegel stated there have been moments as Hamas militants compelled her and her husband via tunnels below the Gaza Strip that they felt “positive we had been going to die.”

Yarden Bibas, 35, is the husband of Shiri Bibas, who was taken from their kibbutz together with her two younger kids Ariel and Kfir throughout the terrorist assault. Hamas claimed simply weeks after the assault that Shiri and her two kids had been killed in an Israeli bombing in Gaza.

In a TV interview a few 12 months later, then-Israeli authorities minister Benny Gantz indicated that officers knew what had occurred to the Bibas household, however stated he couldn’t present particulars. The truth that, below the phrases of the ceasefire deal, Hamas has launched girls and kids earlier than male hostages, recommended the remainder of Yarden Bibas’ household was certainly lifeless.

Hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza
Ofer Kalderon, held hostage in Gaza because the Oct. 7, 2023 assault, is launched by Hamas militants as a part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in a picture taken from video in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Feb. 1, 2025.

Reuters TV/REUTERS


Ofer Calderon, 54, was amongst 5 members of his household seized by Hamas militants from their kibbutz close to the Gaza border on Oct. 7, 2023. His two kids had been launched throughout the ceasefire in November of that 12 months, however two of his cousins had been killed. 

Rafah crossing into Egypt reopened

A gaggle of fifty sick and wounded Palestinian kids started crossing via Gaza’s Rafah crossing into Egypt for remedy on Saturday, the Related Press reported. It marked the primary opening of the border since Israel captured Gaza practically 9 months in the past.

Israel agreed to reopen the crossing after Hamas launched the final residing feminine hostages in Gaza.

Buses carrying the sick and injured Palestinians set out for Egypt
Staff of the United Nations are seen as officers finishing up ultimate checks earlier than the buses carrying sufferers and their companions depart from Nasser Hospital within the metropolis of Khan Yunis to the Rafah border gate to cross into Egypt.

Hani Alshaer/Anadolu by way of Getty Photos


Egyptian tv confirmed a Palestinian Crimson Cross ambulance pulling as much as the crossing gate, and a number of other kids had been introduced out on stretchers and transferred to ambulances on the Egyptian aspect, the AP reported. Gaza’s Well being Ministry stated round 60 relations had been accompanying the youngsters.

Rafah is Gaza’s solely crossing that doesn’t enter into Israel. It was closed by Israeli forces in early Might after it was seized throughout an offensive on the southern metropolis. Egypt shut down its aspect of the crossing in protest.

PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-CONFLICT
Sufferers from al-Shifa hospital in Gaza Metropolis react as they depart in direction of the Rafah crossing and thru to Egypt to obtain remedy overseas on February 1, 2025.

BASHAR TALEB/AFP by way of Getty Photos


Mohammed Zaqout, the director of hospitals in Gaza’s Well being Ministry, instructed the AP that greater than 6,000 sufferers had been able to be evacuated overseas and greater than 12,000 sufferers urgently wanted remedy. He stated the small numbers set to be evacuated is not going to cowl the necessity, “and we hope the quantity will enhance.”

What has the ceasefire achieved and what comes subsequent?

Hamas is anticipated to free a complete of 33 Israeli hostages throughout the first, six-week section of the ceasefire and hostage launch deal, which took impact on January 19. After the discharge on Saturday, 18 have been freed to this point. With every launch of Israeli hostages, scores of Palestinians have been free of Israeli prisons, with roughly 30 being let loose for each hostage returned to Israel alive.

Section one of many deal was to see all Israeli girls, kids and male hostages over the age of fifty launched in change for a whole lot of Palestinian prisoners, along with a dramatically elevated movement of humanitarian assist into Gaza and the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from some areas of the territory.

On the sixteenth day of the ceasefire, which might be Monday, negotiations to determine the steps for the second section are supposed to start, in accordance with a draft of the settlement shared with CBS Information by a senior Hamas official.

There have been a number of moments the place it appeared the delicate settlement may collapse, together with when hostage Arbel Yehoud was not launched as Israel stated she ought to have been in one of many first exchanges. Fast negotiations led to a decision of the dispute, and Yehoud was amongst these freed by militants in Gaza within the third change on Thursday.

“Any deal that takes two or three months to finish a conflict is a foul deal, as a result of it may possibly go off the rails at any level, and at any level both one of many sides can accuse the opposite of breaching,” Israeli analyst and former hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin instructed CBS Information on Friday. 

“We have already had mutual accusations of breach. Proper now, each side are curious about a minimum of bringing this ahead to the top of the 42 days” of section one, Baskin stated.

Baskin, who has in depth expertise negotiating with Hamas, cautioned that “you could not have the 2 events additional aside” forward of the anticipated negotiations over the second section of the deal.

“What we hear from the Israeli aspect is that they won’t finish the conflict or withdraw from Gaza, and what we hear from Hamas is that there is no such thing as a deal except it ends the conflict and brings about an Israeli withdrawal,” he stated. 

However Baskin added that the brand new Trump administration within the U.S. would probably play an integral function in figuring out how the negotiations truly go.

“I feel it is all on the shoulders of Trump,” Baskin instructed CBS Information. “If Trump is set that this may happen, Netanyahu can not go in opposition to him. Netanyahu could attempt to create some sort of provocation, main Hamas to breach the ceasefire, during which case Israel will say to the Individuals, ‘They breached it and now we’ve to return to conflict.’ If Trump says sure, then that is the top. If Trump says ‘no, you possibly can’t return to conflict,’ then we’ll transfer into section two.”

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