Hostages Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel, Ofer Calderon freed after 484 days in Hamas captivity

Three hostages abducted during the October 7, 2023, attack were released by Hamas on Saturday under an ongoing ceasefire deal with the terror group, returning to Israel 484 days after they were taken from their communities near the Gaza border and kidnapped to the Strip.

Ofer Calderon, 54, and Yarden Bibas, 35, were released to the International Red Cross in south Gaza’s Khan Younis on Saturday morning, and Keith Siegel, 65, was handed over almost two hours later at the Gaza City port.

The releases were far more controlled than the chaos surrounding the Thursday release of three Israelis and five Thai nationals.

The terror group set up stages at both locations, with Calderon and Bibas freed soon after 8:30 a.m. and Siegel after 10 a.m.

Representatives of the International Red Cross sat at desks on the stages to sign the so-called handover documents produced by the terror group.

Calderon and Bibas were released first, taken onto the stage set up by Hamas in the southern Gaza town, holding the now ubiquitous certificates issued by the terror group.

Dual US-Israeli national Siegel was handed over at Gaza City’s port, paraded on a stage overlooking the sea as he carried two of the “gift bags” forced on the hostages by the terror group. According to the Walla news site, the second bag was for his wife Aviva, freed by Hamas in November 2023.

He appeared thin and pale but was able to walk, aided by masked and armed Hamas fighters.

The Red Cross transported the freed hostages to IDF and Shin Bet forces inside Gaza, after which they were escorted out of the Strip to a military facility near the border to reunite with family members and undergo initial assessments by doctors and mental health officers.

Supporters of the three men lined the route near the base close to Re’im, waving flags and holding placards welcoming their return.

בדרך למשפחה – ולילדיו שנחטפו יחד איתו: עופר קלדרון מועבר במסוק לבית החולים שיבא pic.twitter.com/4McIg7dZAb

— ynet עדכוני (@ynetalerts) February 1, 2025

Grave fears for fate of Bibas’s wife and small sons

Bibas, his wife Shiri, and children Ariel and Kfir were all abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Kfir was 10-months-old and Ariel was 4 at the time.

Hours after the abduction of the Bibas family on October 7, a video circulated of Shiri, holding both boys in her arms, a look of terror on her face as she was surrounded by terrorists, her boys facing her chest, a blanket covering them. The footage became a symbol of the cruelty of the Hamas-led onslaught.

Content warning:

The Bibas family, including 10-months-old Kfir, 4-year-old Ariel and their mother Shiri were abducted by Hamas on October 7.

Hamas must be held accountable.
Hamas must release all hostages immediately. pic.twitter.com/aizQ6M0Yp2

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 29, 2023

Yarden was wounded during his kidnapping, and was seen being abducted to Gaza separately from his wife and children.

Bibas’s cousin Oriah told Channel 12 after his release that he had lost weight and that they hoped to one day see him smile again.

“Now the time has come to continue [with the deal] until we see Shiri and the boys at home,” she said.

Hamas has claimed that Shiri and the two boys were killed in captivity. Israel has not confirmed this claim, but has expressed “grave concern” for their fate. Earlier this week, Israel reportedly demanded that Hamas clarify the condition of Shiri and the two small boys, who are all on the list of 33 hostages being freed in the first, 42-day phase of the hostage-ceasefire deal. As of Friday night, Israel had reportedly received no fresh information.

Fears for the fate of the Bibas trio have grown, as Hamas did not return them among the first hostages released. Living women and children were supposed to be freed first under the deal, followed by injured and infirm men and men over 50.

Freed hostage Nili Margalit, who spent nearly 50 days in Hamas captivity, revealed in December 2023 that she was with Yarden when Hamas terrorists told him his wife and two young children had been killed and ordered him to film a video in which he blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for refusing to return their bodies to Israel. It was branded a “propaganda video” by the IDF, and was not published by Israeli media.

Ahead of his release, Yarden’s relatives welcomed his imminent freedom while warning of the mixed emotions and need for his privacy to be respected.

“We are all so excited, but Shiri and the children have not yet returned. The emotions are mixed, and we are facing very complex days,” relatives said in a statement on Friday.

“Please protect Yarden’s heart, and respect his privacy and that of his family in the forthcoming period,” they urged, adding. “We love you, dear people of Israel and our amazing supporters from all over the world.”

Related: The Bibas family remains captive in Gaza. A nation hopes against hope for their return

Hope ‘coming true’ for Calderon’s family

Calderon, a dual Israel-French national, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 with two of his children, who were both freed in the previous ceasefire.

Shortly after he was freed, Calderon’s mother Kochi told Channel 12 news that “up until today we lived in hope, and now it is coming true.”

“We are very excited to finally see him. He looks more or less okay, a little thin and pale, and he probably hasn’t seen the sun in a long time. We are waiting to give him a big hug,” she said.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Calderon’s release after “unimaginable hell,” and called for the remaining French national to also be set free.

“Ofer Kalderon is free! We share the immense relief and joy of his loved ones after 483 days of unimaginable hell,” Macron said in a statement on X.

“Our thoughts are with Ohad Yahalomi, still in the hands of Hamas, and with his family. France is doing everything it can to secure his release without delay,” Macron said.

Siegel’s wife Aviva: Nobody is happier than me

Siegel, originally from North Carolina, was taken captive with his wife Aviva from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Hamas-led invasion and massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Aviva was freed during a previous ceasefire in November 2023. Keith’s 97-year-old mother died in December, without seeing him a final time.

“Nobody is happier than me,” Aviva said Saturday morning, ahead of her husband’s release. Since she was freed, Aviva has become a prominent figure in the fight to secure the release of the hostages, telling her story around the world and campaigning tirelessly.

At Tel Aviv’s so-called Hostages Square, hundreds of people gathered ahead of the releases, cheering as they watched live footage of the three being set free on a large screen.

So far, 13 Israeli hostages have been freed as part of the current deal, which mandates the release of 33 so-called “humanitarian hostages” during its first 42-day phase, with fighting stopped in the Strip.

Five Thai hostages have also been freed outside of the framework of the agreement.

As those hostages are gradually released, Israel is to release some 1,904 Palestinian security prisoners, including more than 100 serving life sentences for deadly terror attacks. Ninety security prisoners are to be freed Saturday, nine of them believed to be terrorists serving life terms.

The three-phase deal’s later stages are subject to negotiations with the stated goal of reaching a “sustainable calm” in the enclave, alongside the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza, the release of more Palestinian security prisoners and an Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.

The second stage of the three-part deal is supposed to result in the release of all remaining living hostages not included in the first stage — mainly men of fighting age — but the sides must still hash out the number and identities of Palestinian prisoners to be let go as part of the deal.

The talks on the next stage are slated to begin no later than February 3, which is 16 days after the deal went into effect. Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump are scheduled to meet in the White House on February 4.

On Thursday, eight hostages were freed in chaotic and dangerous scenes, leading to a strong protest from Israel to mediators, and Netanyahu briefly delaying the release of Palestinian prisoners.

The Prime Minister’s Office later said it had received a guarantee from mediators that the scenes of chaos would not be repeated.

The controlled scenes on Saturday were a sign that the pressure appeared to have worked.

The freed hostages are among 251 Israelis and foreigners kidnapped on October 7, 2023, when some 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists burst into Israel, killing some 1,200 people, amid rampant acts of brutality and overt targeting of civilians.