Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Friday it would free the father of the youngest hostages seized in its October 7th, 2023, attack on Israel. Hamas said it will also release two others including a dual US citizen in the next exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel and Ofer Kalderon will be handed over on Saturday, Hamas armed wing spokesman Abu Obeida said in a post on his Telegram channel.
Yarden Bibas is the father of baby Kfir, only nine months old when he was kidnapped, and Ariel, who was four at the time of the attack.
There was no word on the fate of Kfir and Ariel, or on their mother Shiri, who was taken at the same time. Hamas said in late 2023 that they had been killed by Israeli bombardment.
Israeli-American Keith Siegel, who was taken hostage with his wife Aviva, was seen in a video released by Hamas last year. His wife was released in the first hostage-for-prisoner exchange in November 2023.
Ofer Kalderon’s two children Erez and Sahar, abducted alongside him, were also released in the first exchange.
It comes as the Israeli military said on Friday it struck several Hizbullah targets overnight in the Bekaa Valley and along the Syrian-Lebanese border.
The army said the targets included a facility used for underground weapons development and another associated with the smuggling of arms into Lebanon.
On Thursday, Israel said it intercepted a surveillance drone launched by Hizbullah calling it “a breach of the ceasefire agreement” between Israel and Lebanon.
Hizbullah and Israel reached a ceasefire in late November, ending a deadly conflict that began with the Gaza war in 2023. The US confirmed on Sunday that the agreement, which includes a 60-day period for Israeli troop withdrawal, will remain in effect until February 18th, extending the original January 26th deadline.
Israel has carried out multiple strikes on Lebanese territory since the ceasefire extension, killing and injuring more than 100 people.
The most recent attack was a drone strike that injured at least five people in southern Lebanese town of Majdal Selm. – Reuters
