Hamas has released three hostages in the southern Gaza Strip as part of its ceasefire deal with Israel.
Militants handed Yarden Bibas and French-Israeli Ofer Kalderon to Red Cross officials in the southern city of Khan Younis, while American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, looking pale and thin, was released to the Red Cross later on Saturday morning in Gaza City to the north.
A bus departed Ofer Military Prison with some 32 prisoners for the West Bank. About 150 other prisoners are either being sent to Gaza or deported.
According to Palestinian authorities, a total of 183 Palestinian prisoners are to be released, including dozens serving lengthy sentences or life sentences, and 111 people from the Gaza Strip who were arrested after October 7 2023 and held without trial.
Israel confirmed that all three men had crossed the border and would head to hospital from an initial reception point at a military base.
Both events were quick and orderly, in contrast to chaotic scenes that had unfolded during an earlier hostage release on Thursday, when armed militants appeared to struggle to hold back a crowd mobbing the hostages.
In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, thousands of people gathered to watch the releases being transmitted live on a large screen, waving signs and cheering.
The truce, which began on January 19, is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and the Hamas militant group.
A total of 33 Israeli hostages are expected to be freed in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners during the truce’s initial six weeks.
French President Emmanuel Macron has hailed the release of French-Israeli citizen Mr Kalderon, while noting that another French citizen remains a hostage.
“Our thoughts are with Ohad Yahalomi, still in the hands of Hamas, and his family. France is doing everything in its power to secure his immediate release.”
Also on Saturday, wounded Palestinians are expected to be allowed to leave Gaza for Egypt through the Rafah crossing.
Ofer Kalderon est libre ! Nous partageons le soulagement et la joie immenses de ses proches après 483 jours d’un enfer inimaginable.
Nous pensons à Ohad Yahalomi, toujours aux mains du Hamas, et à sa famille. La France met tout en œuvre pour parvenir à sa libération sans délai.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 1, 2025
It had been the only exit point for Palestinians during the war before Israel closed it in May. A European Union civilian mission was deployed on Friday to prepare for the reopening of the crossing.
The reopening would mark another key step in the first phase of the ceasefire, which calls for the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid to the devastated territory.
The Health Ministry said 50 sick and wounded children are scheduled to be evacuated through the Rafah crossing along with 61 companions.
Meanwhile, the release of Mr Bibas, 35, has brought renewed attention to the fate of his wife, Shiri, and their two young sons. All four were captured from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
A video of their abduction by armed men showed Shiri swaddling in a blanket her two red-headed boys – Ariel, four, and Kfir, just nine months old at the time.
Hamas has said Shiri and her sons were killed in an Israeli air strike. Israel has not confirmed that, but a military spokesman recently acknowledged serious concern about their fates.
Like Mr Bibas, Mr Kalderon was also captured from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
In Kfar Saba, north of Tel Aviv, 54-year-old Mr Kalderon’s family hugged and cheered as they saw the images of him climbing onto the stage in Khan Younis and being transferred to the Red Cross.
“We are sorry it took so long, Ofer,” said Eyal Kalderon. “We will soon be a whole family again. We hope other families will soon feel like this, until the last family.”
The dozens of Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel on Saturday include people serving lengthy and life sentences.
Israel and Hamas are set next week to begin negotiating a second phase of the ceasefire, which calls for the release of the remaining hostages and extending the truce indefinitely. The war could resume in early March if an agreement is not reached.
Israel says it is still committed to destroying Hamas, even after the militant group reasserted its rule over Gaza within hours of the latest ceasefire. A key far-right partner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition is calling for the war to resume after the ceasefire’s first phase.
Hamas says it will not release the remaining hostages without an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
