Hamas has released three Israeli hostages while dozens of Palestinians were freed from Israeli prisons in return, marking the latest phase of a truce aimed at concluding the 15-month conflict in Gaza.
Ofer Kalderon, a dual French-Israeli citizen, along with Yarden Bibas, were handed over to Red Cross representatives in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza, prior to being transferred to Israel.
Israeli-American Keith Siegel was transferred separately a few hours later at the Gaza City seaport.
Mr. Bibas is the father of the two youngest hostages, baby Kfir, who was just 9 months old when kidnapped by Hamas-led gunmen on October 7, 2023, and Ariel, who was 4 at the time of the cross-border attack.
There has been no information about their whereabouts since.
Israel has requested updates from the mediators who facilitated the ceasefire regarding the status of the family members.
“Yarden has come home. However, his wife Shiri and his children Ariel and Kfir have not. We have been searching for them for a long time, tracing their steps and investigating their situation,” Gal Hirsch, Israel’s hostage coordinator, stated.
“The Bibas family … has lived in constant fear for their lives for an extended period … We continue to demand updates about their condition from the mediators.”
In a message through the Israeli advocacy group, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the Bibas family expressed that “a quarter of our heart has returned to us after 15 long months” following the release of the 35-year-old.
“Yet, the home remains incomplete,” the family added, stating they would “persist with hope and the call for the return of Shiri, the children, and all hostages.”
Following the hostages’ release, 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were freed in the swap.
Of these, 150 arrived in Gaza while 32 disembarked from a bus in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, where they were welcomed by large crowds.
Hamas fighters accompanied US-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel on stage before handing him over to a Red Cross team in Gaza.
One of the freed prisoners will be exiled to Egypt, according to the media office of the Hamas prisoners.
“I feel joy despite the pain and hardship we endured,” stated Ali Al-Barghouti, who was serving two life sentences in an Israeli prison.
“The life sentence was broken, and one day the occupation will be broken,” he added as the crowd in Ramallah chanted “Allah Akbar (God is the greatest).”
First Palestinian patients allowed to leave Gaza for Egypt.
At the newly reopened Rafah crossing on the southern border, the first Palestinian patients, including children suffering from cancer and heart ailments, were expected to cross into Egypt in a bus provided by the World Health Organization.
This initial opening will permit 50 injured militants and 50 wounded civilians, along with their escorts, with an additional 100 individuals, likely students, expected to pass through on humanitarian grounds.
However, Mohammad Zaqout, a senior official in Gaza’s health ministry, criticized the limited number of patients allowed to seek treatment, noting that around 18,000 people required better healthcare.
A Red Cross convoy transported Palestinian prisoners released by Israel to Ramallah.
In Israel, crowds gathered at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv to watch the release of the Israeli hostages on large outdoor screens, blending cheers and applause with tears as the three men appeared.
The hostage handover did not experience the chaotic scenes that marked an earlier transfer on Thursday, where Hamas guards struggled to shield hostages from a surging crowd in Gaza.
Nonetheless, it again showcased a show of force by uniformed Hamas fighters, who paraded in the area where the handovers occurred, signaling their re-established dominance in Gaza despite suffering heavy losses in the war.
Mr. Kalderon, whose two children Erez and Sahar were released in the first hostage exchange in November 2023, and Mr. Bibas both briefly took the stage in Khan Younis, in front of a poster of Hamas figures including Mohammad Deif, the former military commander whose death was confirmed by Hamas this week, before being handed over to Red Cross officials.
A member of the Red Cross team signs documents prior to Hamas fighters handing over two Israeli hostages in Khan Younis in Gaza.
“Ofer Kalderon is free! We share the immense relief and joy of his loved ones after 483 days of unimaginable torment,” French President Emmanuel Macron stated.
Eighteen hostages, including five Thais freed on Thursday, have now been released in exchange for 400 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Negotiations are set to commence by Tuesday regarding agreements for the release of the remaining hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza in a second phase of the deal.
During the first phase of the ceasefire, 33 children, women, and older male hostages, as well as the sick and injured, were scheduled to be released, with over 60 men of military age left for a second phase that is still pending negotiation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, focusing on the ceasefire in Gaza and a potential normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia as part of a postwar arrangement.
Members of Israeli hostage Ofer Kalderon’s family react upon hearing the news of his release.
The initial six-week ceasefire, agreed upon with Egyptian and Qatari mediators and supported by the United States, has so far remained on track despite several incidents leading both sides to accuse each other of breaking the deal.
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Mr. Netanyahu’s government, which includes hardliners opposed to the ceasefire agreement, and Hamas have declared their commitment to reach an agreement in the second phase.
However, the outlook for a long-lasting resolution remains uncertain.
The Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals and the taking of more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli sources.
Israel’s counter-campaign has devastated much of densely populated Gaza and has claimed more than 47,000 Palestinian lives, according to Palestinian health authorities.
