Gaza — An American dual national and the father of the youngest captive kidnapped from Israel on October 7, 2023, is one of the three Israeli hostages scheduled to be freed from Gaza on Saturday, according to a Friday announcement from Hamas. Three men were listed as the prisoners who will be released in the most recent round: Keith Siegel, Yarden Bibas, and Ofer Kalderon. Their families have been notified, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
Siegel was stolen from his home at kibbutz Kfar Aza. He is an Israeli-American citizen. His wife Aviva, who was kidnapped alongside him, was released in November 2023 as part of the short-lived truce arrangement between Israel and Hamas. Bibas, his wife Shiri, and their two sons, Kfir and Ariel, were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Kfir, the youngest captive taken on October 7, was just nine months old when he was kidnapped.
In November 2023, Hamas published a video of Yarden Bibas being held captive and said that Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel Bibas had been killed in an Israeli bombing. He also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being responsible for the deaths. Israel has never confirmed their deaths, but the military has informed relatives that they might not be alive, according to a representative for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. At the time, an IDF official referred to the film as “psychological terror.” In Khan Younis, Gaza, Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters accompany Arbel Yehoud on Thursday.
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