In a significant development amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, two more Israeli hostages were freed on Saturday as part of the carefully orchestrated prisoner exchange during the current ceasefire. The release marks another crucial step in the delicate peace process that has brought a temporary halt to the devastating war that began with Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
Latest hostage release details
Hamas released Yarden Bibas, 35, and French-Israeli Ofer Kalderon, 54, to the Red Cross in southern Gaza. Both men had been held captive since the October 7 attack. A third hostage, American-Israeli Keith Siegel, 65, was also expected to be released Saturday in Gaza City.
The exchange is part of a broader agreement that anticipates the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners during the initial six-week truce period. However, Israeli authorities have confirmed that eight of these hostages are now deceased, either killed during the initial attack or while in captivity.
The Bibas family tragedy
The release of Yarden Bibas has drawn attention to the uncertain fate of his family members. His wife Shiri and their two young sons – Ariel, 4, and Kfir, who was just 9 months old at the time – were also captured from Kibbutz Nir Oz. A widely circulated video showed Shiri holding her redheaded boys wrapped in a blanket during their abduction. Hamas has claimed they were killed in an Israeli airstrike, though Israel has not confirmed this information.
Broader ceasefire implications
The current truce, which began January 19, has enabled increased humanitarian aid to reach Gaza and allowed for new developments, including plans to reopen the Rafah crossing to Egypt for wounded Palestinians. A European Union civilian mission has already deployed to prepare for this reopening.
Looking ahead, Israel and Hamas are scheduled to begin negotiations next week for a second phase of the ceasefire. This phase aims to secure the release of remaining hostages and potentially extend the truce indefinitely. However, Hamas maintains it won’t release the remaining captives without a complete end to the war and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The conflict’s toll has been devastating: approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Hamas’ October 7 attack. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports over 47,000 Palestinian deaths, with more than half being women and children. The Israeli military claims to have killed over 17,000 fighters, though this figure hasn’t been independently verified.
