Hamas has freed three Israeli hostages in the latest prisoner exchange during the Gaza ceasefire.
Yarden Bibas, 35, French-Israeli Ofer Kalderon, 54, and American-Israeli Keith Siegel, 65, were handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis on Saturday morning, nearly four months after their capture during the October 7 attacks.
The release brings renewed focus on the fate of Bibas's wife Shiri and their two young sons, including nine-month-old Kfir, the youngest of the hostages taken. Hamas claims they were killed in an Israeli airstrike, though Israel has not confirmed their deaths.
"We are sorry it took so long, Ofer," said relative Eyal Kalderon after watching footage of the handover. "We will soon be a whole family again. We hope other families will soon feel like this, until the last family."
Siegel's wife Aviva, released in November, has campaigned prominently for the remaining hostages' freedom.
The exchange is part of a broader deal that will see 33 Israeli hostages freed in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners during the truce's initial six weeks. Israel says eight of the planned releases are now known to be deceased.
The ceasefire has held for nearly two weeks, allowing increased aid into Gaza. Today's handover was notably more orderly than Thursday's chaotic scenes which had angered Israeli officials.
Separately, dozens of wounded Palestinians are expected to leave Gaza for Egypt through the recently reopened Rafah crossing, including 50 children requiring medical treatment.
