American Hostage To Be Released Tomorrow From Gaza, Six Remain In Captivity

Keith Seigel, the first American to be released in the latest phase of the hostage deal is set to return home on Saturday.

Thirty-five-year-old Yarden Bibas and 54-year-old French-Israel citizen Ofer Kalderon will also be released. Bibas’s wife, Shiri, 33, and two children, Ariel 5 and Kfir 2, are on the list of hostages, though Hamas claims they have been killed.

Only men over the age of 50 or in poor health will be released in the first phase of the deal.

An American citizen, Sagui Dekel-Chen, is also expected to be released during the first phase of the deal. The fate of the remaining hostages, including five Americans, will be determined later in following phases

Seigel, 65, is a dual Israel-U.S. citizen who moved from North Carolina to Israel in 1980 was abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where Hamas murdered, burned, and kidnapped Israeli civilians. 

Siegel had his ribs broken during the attack, according to the American Jewish Committee (AJC). Emily Damari, who was released earlier this month offered to switch places with Siegel because of his poor health, reported The Jerusalem Post.

Siegel and his wife, Aviva, were abducted by terrorists who drove them to Gaza in their own car. Aviva was freed during the previous ceasefire in November 2023 after 51 days. The couple’s niece previously said that Hamas reassured Aviva her husband would be released a day or two after her.

The father of four and grandfather of five appeared in a Hamas propaganda video in April where he cried and said he missed his family and told them not to worry. 

Siegel, an occupational therapist, is interested in nature, yoga and meditation, according to his niece. A vegetarian, his family describes him as a calm man and peacemaker. He reportedly learned Arabic to communicate with the Arab workers at his kibbutz.

Siegel was unable to say goodbye to his mother, Gladys, who passed away last year in North Carolina at age 97. The family chose to shield her of the news of her son’s captivity before she died, according to AJC.

“My grandmother passed away yesterday morning,” Siegel’s daughter wrote on social media in December. “My father’s mother is gone, and he couldn’t say goodbye to her because he’s been held captive by Hamas for over a year. Dad won’t be able to stand with us at the cemetery tomorrow or say goodbye to the woman who raised and loved him his entire life.”

The hostages that have been released so far in the first phase of the deal include Israelis Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes, Agam Berger, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, Liri Albag, Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari and Thai citizens: Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat, and Rumnao Surasak.

Each hostage was exchanged for multiple Palestinian prisoners, including those convicted of terrorism.