American-Israeli Keith Siegel, 65, is set to be released from Hamas captivity on Saturday as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Siegel is the first of the American citizens taken on October 7, 2023, to be released by the terror organization. He will be released alongside French-Israeli citizen Ofer Calderon and Yarden Bibas, the father of the two youngest hostages, Kfir and Ariel Bibas.
Siegel was taken captive along with his wife, Aviva, who was released in November 2023 as part of a previous ceasefire deal. Aviva has been fighting for her husband’s freedom since her release and has been worried about his well-being, saying that he didn’t “look like himself” in a December 2024 interview with Fox News Digital.
Siegel’s release comes as part of a larger deal in which Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages over the course of six weeks. So far, Hamas has released 10 hostages, including five female IDF soldiers who were kidnapped from an observation base in southern Israel.
The release of Siegel and the other hostages has been met with criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was furious about the chaotic handling of the transfer of hostages from Hamas to the Red Cross. Netanyahu briefly delayed the release of Palestinian prisoners, demanding a guarantee that the remaining hostages would be released under safe conditions.
Siegel’s release is a significant development in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and his family is eagerly awaiting his return. Aviva Siegel has said that her dream is to “see Keith in front of us and his grandchildren jumping into his arms and we’ll all cry together, and we’ll be the happiest people in Earth.”
