Hamas Announces Release of Three Israeli Hostages in Upcoming Prisoner Exchange
Hamas has confirmed the identities of three Israeli hostages set to be freed during a prisoner exchange scheduled for Saturday, February 1. The individuals, Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel, and Ofer Kalderon, are civilian men connected to others taken during the violent attacks on October 7, 2023. Notably, Siegel’s wife and Kalderon’s children were previously released during a transient ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in November 2023, while the situation surrounding the Bibas family is more complex.
In exchange for the release of these three men, Israel is anticipated to return 90 Palestinian prisoners currently held in its jails. Yarden Bibas, a harrowing case, is the father of two young children, Kfir and Ariel, who were just nine months and four years old respectively when they were abducted. He is also the husband of Shiri Bibas. Hamas previously claimed that these individuals, including Yarden, had been killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2023. However, Israel maintains that it possesses no information to confirm these claims.
Under the ceasefire terms initiated on January 19, if the Bibas family members were alive, they would have been released prior to the three men, a condition that raises questions regarding their fate. Instead, the return of any hostages presumed dead in captivity is now expected to occur during the latter stages of the current ceasefire.
This development unfolds as international attention remains focused on the broader implications of the ongoing conflict and the humanitarian crisis affecting countless families on both sides of the divide.
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