Three Israeli hostages who will be released on Saturday have been named by Hamas.
Israel and Hamas are exchanging hostages and prisoners as a fragile ceasefire holds in Gaza.
Ofer Kalderon, Keith Samuel Siegel and Yarden Bibas will be released, Hamas armed wing spokesperson Abu Obeida said in a post on his telegram channel.
It follows yesterday’s release of eight hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. The group included three Israelis and five Thai nationals.
After a chaotic release that saw crowds swarm sections of the handover, Israel temporarily delayed the freeing of 110 Palestinians expected in exchange.
Who are the hostages being freed?
All three of the hostages set to be released were taken in the October 7 2023 attack.
Yarden Bibas was taken alongside his wife, Shiri Babas, and their two sons, four-year-old Ariel and 10-month-old Kfir – the youngest of Hamas’s hostages.
Yarden is believed to be the only family member still alive.
In November 2023, Hamas said his wife and children had died in an Israeli airstrike before the current ceasefire. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it was “examining the reliability of the information”.
Keith Samuel Siegel, a dual US citizen, was abducted with his wife Aviva Adrienne Siegel – who was freed in November 2023.
Last year, he featured in a video released by Hamas during the Passover holiday. In the footage, he broke down in tears and said he hoped he would be reunited with his family.
Ofer Kalderon is the uncle of a 12-year-old girl found dead after Hamas’s October 7 attack. The bodies of Noya Dan, who was autistic, and her grandmother, Carmela Dan, were found nearly a fortnight after the pair were reported missing.
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