Hamas on Saturday released Israeli hostages Yarden Bibas (35), Ofer Calderon (54), and Keith Siegel (65) in the fourth batch of the hostages-for-terrorists deal.
“Israeli hostages Yarden Bibas, 35, and Ofer Calderon, 54, were escorted back to Israeli soil by IDF forces Saturday morning after 484 days in captivity,” the Israeli news website YNET reported. Keith Siegel, a U.S. citizen, was freed hours later in a separate exchange.
“A short while ago, the returning civilian hostages, Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas, crossed the border into Israeli territory accompanied by IDF and ISA forces,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed in a statement. “The returning civilian hostages are currently on their way to an initial reception point in southern Israel.”
“Ofer Kalderon is now taking off in an Israeli Air Force helicopter to the hospital, where he will reunite with members of his family and receive medical treatment,” the IDF announced in a later statement.
Yarden Bibas is back in Israel amid grave concern for his wife, Shiri, and children, 9-month-old Kfir and 4-year-old Ariel. Despite renewed Israeli demands, Hamas has been refusing to clarify the status of Yarden’s wife and children ripped away from him by terrorists on October 7, 2023.
Yarden was brutally assaulted by a Gazan lynch mob as he tried to protect his wife and kids during the Hamas’ hostage taking. As I described in my April 2025 post, “blood-soaked [Yarden] is seen paraded though the triumphant crowd of Gazans as they appear to shout ‘Allahu Akbar’.”
The Israel Hayom newspaper recalls:
Yarden Bibas attempted to protect his family, but was taken just like his wife Shiri and their two redheaded children, Ariel (5) and Kfir (2), who was taken when he was just 9 months old at the time. Footage of Yarden Bibas’ capture on October 7 was released in April 2024, showing him being taken to Gaza on a motorcycle, his face bloodied, surrounded by a frenzied crowd. Additionally, Hamas released a disturbing video of Yarden from captivity in which he addresses the prime minister and speaks about his family.The attackers who breached Nir Oz kibbutz arrived at the Bibas family home, drilling through the locked door with equipment they had brought, and entered the safe room where the four family members were hiding. The father, Yarden, messaged his family about the intruders’ entry, writing: “This feels like the end.”
The Jerusalem Post described how Hamas invaders abducted Keith Siegel and Ofer Calderon from their homes in southern Israel:
Siegel, 65, from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, was kidnapped alongside his wife, Aviva, from their home’s reinforced safe room during Hamas’s October 7 attack. Aviva was released after 51 days in the first hostage deal, but Keith remained in captivity.15 Hamas terrorists abducted the couple, forcing them into their family car at gunpoint. As Siegel attempted to protect himself and his wife, he whispered to her, “We have to escape.” Upon hearing this, the terrorists shoved him, causing him to fall and break his ribs. He was later shot in the hand and taken to Gaza, bleeding and wounded. (…)Ofer Calderon, 54, a father of four, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz alongside his children, Sahar (16) and Erez (12). The siblings were freed after 52 days as part of the first hostage exchange.The family attempted to hide in bushes near their home but were discovered. Calderon’s mother-in-law, Carmela Dan, and his niece, Noya Dan, were murdered by Hamas. A widely circulated propaganda video showed young Erez being taken to Gaza by the terrorists.
Israeli authorities are preparing to free more Palestinian terrorists in exchange for the latest hostage release. “As part of the ceasefire agreement, Israel will release 90 Palestinian prisoners—nine serving life sentences and 81 others with long-term sentences,” the YNET reported Saturday morning. In a three phase hostages-for-terrorists deal, Israel is expected to release nearly 2000 Palestinian terrorists, including murderers, rapists and terror masterminds, in return for 87 hostages — 57 of them thought to be alive.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY