Hamas Set to Release First American Hostage and Father of Gaza’s Youngest Captive – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
10:25 AM – Friday, January 31, 2025
On Friday, Hamas announced the imminent release of the father of the youngest hostage taken during the October 7th attack on Israel, along with two others, including a dual U.S. citizen, in the upcoming exchange for “Palestinian prisoners.”
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Hamas armed wing spokesperson Abu Obeida shared that Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel, and Ofer Kalderon are scheduled to be exchanged on Saturday.
Bibas is the father of “baby Kfir,” who was only 9 months old when Hamas took him hostage, and Ariel, who was just 4 years old at the time of the attack.
Previously, there had been no updates on the well-being of Kfir and Ariel, nor their mother Shiri, who was also abducted.
Hamas, known for misreporting “death tolls” regarding Palestinian civilians through the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which is under its control, initially claimed in late 2023 that the soon-to-be-released children had perished in early Israeli airstrikes.
Following their abduction, videos emerged showing a distressed Shiri holding onto her children wrapped in a blanket as they were taken into captivity by the militants.
Yarden, aged 34, was also captured during the attack. A video of him began circulating, showing him severely injured with visible head wounds.
As for Israeli-American Keith Siegel, who was taken alongside his wife, Aviva, he was filmed in a separate video released by Hamas last year. His wife was liberated during the first hostage-for-prisoner swap in November 2023.
Kalderon’s children, Erez and Sahar, who were abducted with him, were released in the initial hostage exchange.
Recently, Hamas freed three Israelis and five Thai hostages, while Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday after some delays in the process.
Under the current ceasefire agreement, which has paused over five months of conflict, 33 hostages held by Hamas are expected to be released within the first six weeks of the truce. This is in exchange for releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are serving life sentences in Israel for various offenses.
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