American Keith Siegel among the hostages set to release to the next exchange of Israel-Hamas under a detainee fire

A group representing the family of Israeli hostages confirmed on Friday the names of three more prisoners who will expect Hamas to surrender on Saturday, including a double American Israeli citizen. Keith Seigel, 65, originally from North Carolina, moved to Israel four decades ago and was among those seized during the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023.

Hamas previously provided three names, and Israeli officials confirmed the receipt of the list, but it was the forum of hostages and missing families that confirmed identity, saying that he welcomed “the joyful news regarding the expected edition of Keith Siegela”, along with the Israeli nationals of Yarden Bibas and Ofer Calderon.

Seigel’s wife Aviva Seigel was also taken during the attack, in which militants were killed by about 1,200 people and took 251 second hostages, but was released in the short November 2023. Israel and Hamas.

In an interview with CBS News approximately one year after publication, Said Seigel There were moments as Hamas militants forced her and her husband through the tunnels under the gauze belt that they felt “sure we would die.”

Yarden Bibas, 35, husband is Shiri Bibaswhich during the terrorist attack was taken from their kibbut with their two young children Ariel and Kfir. Hamas claimed Just a few weeks after the attack that Shiri and her two children were killed in Israeli bombing in Gaza.

In a TV interview about half a year later, then Minister of the G The fact that, under the conditions of an agreement on the tribute, Hamas released women and children before men’s hostages, suggested that the rest of the Yarden Bibas family was really dead.

Ofer Calderon, 54, was among five members of his family who were taken away by Hamas militants from their kibbut near the border with Gaza on October 7, 2023. they were released During the ceasefire in November that year, but two of his relatives were killed.

Speaking CBS Boston Just two weeks ago, Calderon’s cousin Jason Greenberg said he still didn’t know if Ofer was dead or alive.

“It’s hard to imagine that anyone can endure so long and even get back to the same person,” Greenberg said. “If he comes back alive, it’s a miracle.”

Third exchanging indoors completed but not smooth

Eight hostages holding Hamas and his allies in Gaza were released on Thursday In exchange for the release of 110 Palestinian prisoners, in a third replacement facilitated by fragile agreement on the interruption of the fire, which entered into force on January 19th.

The exchange began smoothly with the handover of the female Israeli soldier Agam Berger, 20. It was handed over relatively neatly in the midst of the ruins of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. But the procedure switched to chaos when the big crowds surrounded the Israelce Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Moses as the militants transferred them to the Red Cross staff in the southern Gazi about an hour later.

The scenes were angry with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who delayed Palestinian prisoners for several hours, while, his office said, the intermediary of the agreement arranged.

The envoy of the Middle East President Steve Witkoff ended up visiting and leaving Israel on Thursday after three soils were released. He spent most of the day visiting Gazi, where he went with members of Israeli defense forces, “to review the implementation [of the ceasefire]Because that’s so important, “he told Axios.

“How this happens will affect our ability to reach two stages of work,” Witkoff said.

Americans still keep in gauze

Seven American citizens, including Seigel, among the remaining 82 hostages held in Gaza, and dead and lives.

Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35, who grew up in Bloomfield, Connecticut, and Edan Alexander, 19, from Tenafly, New Jersey, are thought to be alive, while four other Americans were killed in captivity.

Israeli 15-month-old, glittering military offensive in Gaza in response to Hamas’s terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. More than 46,000 people were killed in the enclave, according to the Hamas-Run Ministry of Health. The whole neighborhoods are leveled, and almost all territory of more than 2 million inhabitants have been displaced from their homes, many of which are several times.