Expected release of high-profile male hostages sparks excitement and anxiety in Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) — News that three high-profile hostages are expected to be released Saturday, including the father of the youngest captives held in Gaza, brought excitement and trepidation to Israel on Friday.

Yarden Bibas — father to young Ariel and Kfir Bibas — Keith Siegel and Ofer Kalderon have all become household names in Israel since their abduction, with major campaigns calling for their release.

The men's release would be the fourth since a ceasefire paused the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas this month. In its first phase, 33 Israeli captives are expected to be freed in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Israel's announcement of the names provided by Hamas dimmed hopes that the Bibas boys and their mother, Shiri, are still alive in captivity. Hamas has said they are dead and Israel says it is gravely concerned about them. Around a third of some 80 people still held hostage in Gaza are believed to be dead.

Activists dressed in white and carrying white umbrellas held a silent protest Friday outside the U.S. Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv to call for more releases, with yellow chairs representing the hostages. A group representing the captives’ families called the news “joyous” but said Israel had the “sacred duty and moral right” to bring all the hostages home, dead and alive.

To the men's families, the news was a relief.

“Thank God,” Sahar Kalderon, one of Ofer Kalderon’s children, wrote on Instagram. “What a perfect morning.”

Aviva Siegel, Keith Siegel’s wife, exclaimed with joy in a video her daughter posted to Instagram. “Dad is coming!” she cried. “Dad is on the list!”

Around 250 were abducted when Hamas stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Israel’s ensuing air and ground war has been among the deadliest and most destructive in decades. More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed, over half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were militants.

Here’s a closer look at the men set to be freed Saturday.

Yarden Bibas, 35

News that Yarden Bibas would be released dimmed hopes that his wife and children were still alive in Gaza.

Hamas has claimed that the three were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel has not confirmed that, but spokesperson Daniel Hagari said last week that the military was “extremely concerned” about the family's welfare.

Yarden Bibas was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7. Photos from the abduction appear to show him wounded.

It's believed he was taken captive separately from his wife and sons. A video of the family's abduction showed Shiri swaddling her two redheaded boys in a blanket and being whisked away by armed men.

Kfir, who was 9 months old at the time, was the youngest to be taken captive. The infant with a then-toothless smile has come to represent the helplessness and anger over the hostage crisis.

Keith Siegel, 65

Keith Siegel, an Israeli-American, was abducted with his wife, Aviva Siegel, from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, a communal farming village heavily damaged by the attack. She was freed during the November 2023 ceasefire deal, and has campaigned across the world for her husband’s release.

Keith Siegel, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, worked as an a occupational therapist and loves spending time with his grandchildren, according to the forum representing the hostage families.

Aviva Siegel said that she was held hostage with her husband during her 51 days in captivity. She said she took comfort from having her husband by her side as they were moved from tunnel to tunnel, the two given almost no food or water. Her parting words to him were, “Be strong for me."

Ofer Kalderon, 54

Ofer Kalderon, a French-Israeli hostage, was taken captive by the militants from Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with his children, Sahar and Erez. His ex-wife, Hadas, was also abducted.

The children and Hadas Kalderon were released during the hostage exchange in November. Hadas Kalderon has said that the children have struggled since leaving captivity, worried for their father’s health.

Ofer Kalderon worked as a carpenter and loves biking and flying model planes, according to the hostage forum.