Three More Hostages Freed as Netanyahu Heads to Washington

Three more Israeli hostages returned home to the loving embrace of their families and the country on Saturday.  Early in the morning, Hamas returned Ofer Kalderon, Yarden Bibas and Keith Seigel to Israel through the Red Cross. 

The transfer was much more orderly than the one on Thursday, after which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stopped the release of Palestinian prisoners until he had a pledge from the mediators that that violent atmosphere that accompanied the Thursday release would not happen again.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement celebrating the release of the three hostages, including American-Israeli Keith Seigel.

“President Trump has made the safety and security of Americans around the world the top priority of his administration.  The United States will continue to work with Israel to reunite all remaining hostages with their families and to secure peace in the region,” Rubio said.

Seigel, 65, was abducted from Kfar Aza along with his wife Aviva and driven to Gaza in Keith’s car.  His wife was released in an earlier deal in November 2023.   

“Finally, after 484 long, terrifying days and nights, full of immense worry for our father, we can breathe again.  Thank you president Trump, for bringing our father back to us….We also wish to thank the governments of Israel and the United States for bringing this blessed deal to fruition—a deal that prioritizes human life and embodies Jewish and Israeli values,” the Seigel family said in a statement.

Yarden Bibas, 35, returned home but without his wife Shiri and two little boys Ariel and Kfir. Yarden was separated from his wife and two sons, who were set to be released in November 2023 but the deal broke down.  Their condition is unknown, but they are supposed to be freed as part of the first 33 hostages released in the current deal.

"Yarden is home. A quarter of our heart has returned to us after 15 long months. There are no words to describe the relief of holding Yarden in our hands, embracing him, and hearing his voice. Yarden has returned home, but the home remains incomplete,” a statement from the Bibas family said.

Last year, CBN News interviewed Yarden’s sister, Ofri Bibas, at Kibbutz Nir Oz just before the Passover holiday.

“The strongest feelings that I have of uncertainty because we don't know anything about their fate and I don't know where they've been held, the condition -- dead or alive -- and also feeling very helplessness, because as a family member we are traveling and interviewing and protesting and doing whatever we can. But at the bottom line, we won’t decide if they come back, we can't bring them back,” Ofri said at the time.

Kalderon, 54, a French-Israeli citizen was met by his four children.  He was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz along with two of his children, who were released in November 2023.  His daughter reassured him that they were all fine.

“We are overwhelmed with joy, relief, and emotion after 484 long and difficult days of unbearable waiting. Today, we finally embrace Ofer, seeing and truly comprehending that he is here with us. We have witnessed how, through extraordinary mental strength, he survived this hell. Ofer endured months in a nightmare, and we are proud of his ability to survive and hold onto the hope of embracing his children again,” Kalderon’s family said in a statement.

There are 79 hostages still in captivity, 20 of them are due to be released in this first phase of the deal including 12 believed to be alive, and eight that are not.

Netanyahu left Sunday morning for the U.S. where he will be the first international leader to meet with newly elected President Trump.

“The fact that this would be President Trump’s first meeting with a foreign leader since his inauguration is telling. I think it’s a testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance. It’s also a testimony to the strength of our personal friendship,” Netanyahu said before leaving.

Netanyahu said he and Trump would discuss, “critical issues” facing Israel and the region such as, “Victory over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages and dealing with the Iranian terror axis in all its components – an axis that threatens the peace of Israel, the Middle East and the entire world.”