Photo: Alamy
The first American-Israeli hostage held by Hamas in Gaza is expected to be released on Saturday as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel.
Keith Siegel, 65, was taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, spending over a year in captivity.
Others expected to be released this weekend include French-Israeli citizen Ofer Calderon and Yarden Bibas, the father of the two youngest hostages, Kfir and Ariel Bibas.
Seven American citizens, including Siegel, remain held hostage in Gaza. Two others are believed to be alive, while four have died. Hamas is holding the bodies of the deceased captives.
As part of the first phase of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages over six weeks. So far, they have released 10, including five female IDF soldiers kidnapped from an observation base in southern Israel. One of the soldiers, Agam Berger, was released separately from the other four.
President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, D.C as early as next, RSBN previously reported. The report from the Associated Press noted two American sources involved in the planning stages of the trip.
Trump celebrated the release of the first three female hostages the day before his inauguration in a Truth Social post.
“Hostages starting to come out today! Three wonderful young women will be first,” he wrote.
Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher reunited with their families after being abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, and held for 471 days.
“The three women were the first of the 33 captives expected to be freed during the first phase of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas that went into effect earlier in the day,” JNS reported. “The women were handed over to the Israel Defense Forces by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross inside the Gaza Strip.”
The family of Doron Steinbrecher thanked the people of Israel and Trump for her release.
“After an unbearable 471 days, our beloved Dodo has finally returned to our arms. We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported and accompanied us along this journey,” the family said in a statement released through the Hostages and Missing Families’ Forum.
“A special thank you to the people of Israel for their warm embrace, unwavering support, and the strength they gave us during our darkest moments. We also extend our gratitude to President Trump for his significant involvement and support, which meant so much to us,” the statement continued.