Hamas Releases Two More Hostages in Less Chaotic Handover

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Hamas militants stood guard Saturday ahead of a hostage handover in Khan Younis, Gaza. Hamas released two more Israeli hostages in a relatively subdued procession Saturday, after a chaotic handover earlier in the week sparked an outcry that threatened to snarl the Gaza cease-fire deal.

The militant group freed Yarden Bibas, 35, whose wife and children remain hostages in Gaza, and Ofer Kalderon, 54, an Israeli-French citizen whose two children were also kidnapped but released in November 2023. The third hostage Hamas said it would free Saturday is 65-year-old Israeli-American Keith Siegel, who was kidnapped from his home on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched the attacks on Israel that sparked the 15-month war in Gaza.

Siegel was taken with his wife Aviva Siegel, who was released in the previous cease-fire deal in late 2023. He is expected to be released later Saturday morning. Bibas and Kalderon were released first, in the city of Khan Younis, where Hamas choreographed an elaborate transfer Thursday that saw large, surging mobs that Israel said endangered the lives of the hostages.

Israel delayed the release of Palestinian prisoners under the exchange deal as it sought assurances the scenes wouldn’t be repeated. This time, the crowds appeared to be smaller and more controlled. The two men were led one by one to a stage where they waved and then were taken to the Red Cross before meeting Israeli forces and reaching Israel.

As part of the agreement, the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt is expected to open Saturday after being closed for many months to allow injured Palestinians to leave for treatment. No Hamas fighters who took part in the Oct. 7 attacks will be allowed to