HAMAS has released three more hostages as part of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
The exchange took place in two different locations: representatives of the International Red Cross received 35-year-old Israeli Yarden Bibas, 54-year-old Ofer Calderon, who also holds French citizenship, and 65-year-old Keith Siegel, a dual American-Israeli citizen.
All of them were subsequently handed over to the Israeli military to reunite with their families after 484 days of captivity.
Following the release of the three hostages, Israel is beginning the process of freeing 183 Palestinian prisoners.
Yarden Bibas’s wife Shiri and their sons, 5-year-old Ariel and 2-year-old Kfir, are still held hostage in Gaza, and Israel states that it has "serious concerns" for their fate.
Back in November 2023, HAMAS claimed that a mother and her children were killed in Israeli bombings, without providing any evidence.
Keith Siegel, a U.S. and Israeli citizen from North Carolina, was captured along with his wife Aviva from the kibbutz Kfar Aza during HAMAS's invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Aviva was released during a previous ceasefire in November 2023.
Ofer Calderon was abducted by HAMAS from the kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 along with his daughter Shachar and son Erez. The children were released in November 2023 during a temporary ceasefire.
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and HAMAS came into effect on January 19. The first stage involves the release of 33 hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. So far, 18 hostages have been freed, primarily women.
As part of the second stage of the agreement, HAMAS is to release all remaining hostages, and Israel is obligated to fully withdraw its troops from Gaza. The third phase is expected to involve the exchange of the bodies of the deceased.