Hostage Release Brings Joy Despite 'Shocking Scenes', Bibas Dad and 2 More to Be Freed Saturday
Israel is celebrating the release of eight hostages and preparing to welcome three more on Saturday. However, the joy is tempered by the reality that terrorists are being freed from Israeli prisons, and there is still no clear plan for Gaza’s future.
Israeli officials say the three hostages set to be released from Gaza on Saturday are Ofer Calderon, American-Israeli Keith Siegel, and Yarden Bibas. Bibas is the father of 2-year-old Kfir and 5-year-old Ariel, who remain in captivity in Gaza along with their mother, Shiri.
The eight hostages released on Thursday returned to a hero’s welcome from family, friends, and the entire nation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exclaimed, “Arbel, Agam, Gadi, Welcome Home! The entire State of Israel embraces you, as do my wife, Sarah, and I.”
Berger, a violinist, was one of five female IDF observer soldiers abducted by Hamas. She spent much of her time in captivity with fellow hostage Liri Albag.
Together, they avoided eating leavened bread during Passover, attempted to fast on Yom Kippur, and observed the Sabbath. On the helicopter to the hospital, Berger held up a sign thanking the nation, reading, "On the way, I chose faith, and I returned home with faith."
Released hostage Agam Berger:
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) January 30, 2025
“i chose the path of faith, and through faith I came home.
Thank you to the nation of Israel and to the heroic soldiers of the IDF.
There is no one in the world like you!”
Welcome home Agam
@IDF pic.twitter.com/6zSK2YmHbT
Gadi Moses and Arbel Yehoud’s Harrowing Ordeal
80-year-old Gadi Moses, who endured captivity for 482 days, returned to Israel smiling as he reunited with his children. He had been abducted from his home at Kibbutz Nir Oz, where his partner was killed and many of his family members were also taken hostage. All of them were freed a year ago in a previous deal — except him.
Arbel Yehud reportedly spent her entire 482 days in isolation. Her chaotic exit from Gaza saw her surrounded by angry mobs of Gazans yelling and pushing as she made her way to safety.
Her ordeal was so disturbing that Netanyahu temporarily suspended the release of Palestinian prisoners until he received assurances from mediators that such incidents would not happen again.
"During the release of our hostages today, we all saw shocking scenes," Netanyahu said. "We made it clear to the mediators that we do not intend to accept any risk to our hostages. And I will add — whoever dares to harm our hostages will pay the price."
Yehud and Moses were held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Upon her release, Yehud was taken to Sheba Medical Center, where she was reunited with her family.
Dr. Osnat Levtzion-Korach, General Director of Shamir Medical Center, stated, "As in previous cases, we prioritize the human aspect first and foremost. As long as the medical situation allows, we ensure privacy and a supportive environment for the hostages to reunite with their families and loved ones."
The five Thai hostages, who have no family in Israel, were greeted at the hospital by Thailand’s ambassador. They appear to be in good health. "Thank you, thank you so much. I'm sure that they will feel at home here,” Thai Ambassador Pannabha Chandraramya told the Israeli crowd gathered to greet the hostages.
Trump’s Envoy and U.S. Support for Israel
President Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, toured Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Thursday meeting with hostage families as the latest group of hostages was freed.
Witkoff assured them that Trump is committed to securing the release of all remaining hostages.
Witkoff also met with Bezalel Smotrich, a top opponent of the ceasefire deal. After their meeting, Smotrich posted on X that Witkoff spoke of “out-of-the-box thinking the U.S. is advancing to enable the destruction of the forces of evil and the advancement of peace through strength in the Middle East and beyond. The U.S. under President Trump is leading a moral and just path.”
Palestinian Prisoners Released, Terrorists Celebrated
Among the 110 Palestinian prisoners released on Thursday in exchange for the hostages was Zakaria Zubeidi, a notorious West Bank terrorist leader responsible for numerous deadly attacks. He received a hero’s welcome in Ramallah, where he thanked Allah for his freedom.
Despite suffering over a year of devastating losses, Hamas continues to project an image of victory. A senior Hamas official recently stated, “The Palestinian people were not defeated. The enemy did not achieve its goals.”
In an interview with Iranian television, Mohammed al-Najjar, head of Hamas’ youth department, boasted, "October 7 will be repeated with attacks from the West Bank, Lebanon, Egypt — from the east and from all directions. We have achieved a great victory against an enemy that claimed to be invincible."
Hamas official Taher Nounou insists that Hamas will continue to govern Gaza, claiming that the group has been negotiating with the Palestinian Authority (PA), which currently rules the West Bank. However, Israel firmly opposes the PA ruling Gaza, recalling how Hamas assassinated PA leaders the last time it took control.
The Hostage Deal and the Future
Negotiators will begin discussing the next phase on Monday, aiming for the release of all remaining living hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Meanwhile, President Trump appears willing to use economic pressure to push Egypt and Jordan to accept Palestinian refugees displaced by the war. Both countries have previously refused, but Trump made his stance clear on Thursday, stating, "They’re going to do it, okay? We do a lot for them, and they’re going to do it."
About The Author
Julie Stahl is a correspondent for CBN News in the Middle East. A Hebrew speaker, she has been covering news in Israel fulltime for more than 20 years.
Julie’s life as a journalist has been intertwined with CBN – first as a graduate student in Journalism; then as a journalist with Middle East Television (METV) when it was owned by CBN from 1989-91; and now with the Middle East Bureau of CBN News in Jerusalem since 2009.
As a correspondent for CBN News, Julie has covered Israel’s wars with Gaza, rocket attacks on Israeli communities, stories on the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and the Golan Heights, as well as stories on the return of the Jewish people to their biblical homeland and archaeological stories that backup the Bible. She has traveled to Tanzania to cover Israeli doctors giving life-saving heart surgery to children there; to Poland to cover Holocaust-related events; to Paris to cover the Jewish response to the rise in anti-Semitism there; and Portugal to cover events surrounding the Bnei Anusim – Jews forced to convert to Catholicism during the Spanish Inquisition, many of whom would now like to be recognized as Jews and return to Israel.
Julie is also an integral part of CBN News’ award-winning “Jerusalem Dateline”, a weekly show about events in the Middle East that is translated into multiple languages and has a broad viewership across the world.
As the Jerusalem Bureau Chief for CNSNews.com, from 1999-2008, Julie covered Israel’s pullout from Lebanon; traveled to both Egypt and Jordan to cover aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process; covered the Second Intifadah, from 2000-2005 when terror attacks were sometimes a daily occurrence, Israel’s 2005 Disengagement from Gaza and the 2006 Second Lebanon War. Her work included almost daily contact with Israeli and Palestinian officials.
While working as a news writer for METV, Julie covered the historic fall of Communism in Eastern Europe.
Julie received her bachelor’s degree in Theatre from Florida State University and master’s degree in Journalism from Regent University before heading to Israel, in 1987. She enjoys playing the guitar, having guests for Sabbath Eve meals, exploring, traveling, meeting people and gardening.
About The Author
As a freelance reporter for CBN's Jerusalem bureau and during 27 years as senior correspondent in CBN's Washington bureau, Paul Strand has covered a variety of political and social issues, with an emphasis on defense, justice, government, and God’s providential involvement in our world. Strand began his tenure at CBN News in 1985 as an evening assignment editor in Washington, D.C. After a year, he worked with CBN Radio News for three years, returning to the television newsroom to accept a position as a senior editor in 1990. Strand moved back to the nation's capital in 1995 and then to Jerusalem in 2022. Before joining CBN News, Strand served as the newspaper editor for Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, New York. After six years there, he returned to Oregon, his home state, to serve as a news producer at KEZI in Eugene for over three years. He then moved to KPTV in Portland, where he worked as an assignment editor. Strand earned an undergraduate degree from the State University of New York and a Master of Science in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Oregon. Strand and his wife have two grown children.
