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Israeli hostages Ofer Calderon, Yarden Bibas and Keith Siegel returned to Israel on Saturday after 484 days in Hamas captivity.
Calderon arrived by military helicopter at Sheba Medical Center in Tel HaShomer, where friends greeted him with cheers and sang, "How good it is that you came home."
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Ofer Calderon reunites with his children
(GPO)
I never gave up," Ofer tells his kids, before joking with Rotem, his oldest son who escaped captor, you managed to escape, you hid better than us." Ofer was captured with Sahar and Erez, who were released in the November 2023 exchange. "Fight for me," he told Sahar when they parted in the Hamas tunnels. "I don't want to die in the tunnels," he said then.
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Yarden Bibas reunites with his father and sister in Israel
(Video: IDF)
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Ofer Calderon greets supporters at Sheba Medical Center
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Keith Siegel reunited with his family
(Video: IDF)
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Bibas and Calderon join IDF forces
(Video: IDF)
Bibas, whose wife Shiri and two young sons remain in captivity, reunited with his father and sister at the Re’im reception center near the Gaza border. Siegel, released separately from Gaza’s port area, was transferred to Israeli forces before crossing into Israel. His daughter, Shira, shared her joy on social media, writing: "Our dad is home!"
Aviva Siegel, Keith’s wife, who was freed in a previous hostage deal, tearfully watched his release, exclaiming, "There he is! He looks good!" Bibas also arrived by helicopter at Sheba Medical Center, where medical teams were prepared to provide physical and psychological care. "These are incredibly sensitive moments for the returning hostages and their families," the Health Ministry said, urging privacy.
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Bibas, Calderon and Siegel
(Photo: Eyad BABA / AFP, REUTERS/Ramadan Abed, REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas)
President Isaac Herzog described Bibas’s reunion with his family as "heartbreaking" and reiterated the nation’s deep concern for the fate of Shiri and the children, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, who remain in Hamas captivity. "All of Israel stands with Yarden and his family in worry and prayer," Herzog said.
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Unlike previous releases, where chaos erupted as hostages were handed over, Saturday’s transfer of Calderon and Bibas from Hamas to the Red Cross in Khan Younis was relatively smooth. Siegel, released about two hours later from Gaza’s port area, was briefly paraded before Hamas gunmen before being handed over. According to reports from Gaza, Hamas also gave him two bags—one reportedly intended for his wife, Aviva Siegel.
Following the traumatic scenes during Thursday’s hostage release in Khan Younis, Israeli officials had expressed deep concerns over the security of the hostages and protested to mediators. Hamas appeared to heed the message, avoiding large crowds at Saturday’s handover.
As part of the ongoing hostage deal, Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners, including 18 serving life sentences. Most—143 prisoners—will be transferred to Gaza. The Israel Prison Service (IPS) reported an unusual incident during the prisoner selection process at Ketziot Prison, reporting that "one prisoner felt unwell and was treated by an IPS doctor at a designated medical facility."
The Hamas-run Ministry for Prisoners' Affairs in Gaza published a list of those expected to be released, which includes 54 convicted of serious offenses and 111 detainees arrested after October 7. According to the terms of the deal, Israel has agreed to release approximately 1,000 Palestinian detainees from Gaza who were arrested after the October 7 massacre but were not directly involved in the attack.