Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida announced on Telegram that it would free Yarden Bibas, the father of Israel’s youngest abductees, as well as Keith Siegel, a dual U.S.-Israeli national, and Ofer Kalderon.
Bibas is the father of Kfir, taken at just nine months old, and four-year-old Ariel, all of whom were seized during the cross-border raid on Oct. 7, 2023. Their mother, Shiri, was also captured. Hamas claimed last year that she and her two children were killed by Israeli bombardments, but the family’s fate remains uncertain.
Another hostage to be released, Keith Siegel, was captured alongside his wife Aviva. She was among the first hostages freed last November. Kalderon’s two children, Erez and Sahar, were also released at that time.
Prisoner exchanges
Thus far, 10 hostages and 400 Palestinian prisoners have been exchanged. Under the current ceasefire deal, a total of 33 hostages held in Gaza are to be released over the first six weeks of the truce, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees. Ninety Palestinian prisoners, including those serving life or long-term sentences, will be released on Saturday in return for the three Israelis.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced criticism for not securing a comprehensive hostage deal sooner in a conflict that began with Hamas’s Oct. 7 incursion, during which more than 1,200 people were killed in Israel and over 250 were taken hostage. Hamas, meanwhile, remains entrenched in Gaza, despite months of heavy bombing and the loss of senior leaders.
Path toward peace?
The ceasefire has facilitated a surge of international humanitarian aid into Gaza, now home to some 2.3 million people grappling with severe shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies. However, the situation remains precarious, with Israel threatening to block UNRWA operations if the U.N. agency refuses to comply with the latest directives, and Hamas vowing to resist any permanent setback to its influence in the territory.
Palestinian prisoners scheduled for release include minors and members of armed factions convicted of lethal attacks. To date, Israel’s military response has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and devastated large parts of the enclave.
Officials from both sides are set to negotiate terms for the second phase of the truce by Feb. 4. If an agreement is reached, more hostages—many of them men of military age—would be freed in tandem with a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. A lasting peace could then follow, paving the way for reconstructing the war-ravaged territory.
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Source: Reuters, AFP, PAP