Star Metro - Hamas frees three Israeli hostages in fourth ceasefire swap

Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas were paraded on stage before being released to the Red Cross in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, while US-Israeli Keith Siegel was freed in a similar ceremony at Gaza City's port in the north.

Israel's military later confirmed that all three were back in Israel.

Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum hailed the release as "a ray of light in the darkness".

Franco-Israeli hostage Ofer Kalderon's uncle Shemi told AFP: "We have waited for this moment for a very long time."

"I hope that this is a sign of the rebirth of the people of Israel, not just of Ofer, not just of the hostages but of the people of Israel," he said, overcome with emotion.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on X he shared the "relief and joy" of Kalderon's family and friends "after 483 days of unimaginable hell".

After keeping them hostage for more than 15 months, militants in Gaza began releasing captives on January 19, under the first phase of a ceasefire with Israel.

In Khan Yunis on Saturday, Bibas, 35, the father of the two youngest hostages, looked straight ahead before waving, apparently after instructions from a Hamas fighter.

Kalderon, 54 -- seized along with his son Erez, 12, and daughter Sahar, 16, who were released in a first truce in November 2023 -- wore a military-green tracksuit and also waved before joining the Red Cross officials.

An assault rifle, apparently captured from Israeli forces during the fighting in Gaza, had been placed on the table where Red Cross workers exchanged paperwork with a Hamas official.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants have so far handed over 18 hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, many of them women and minors.

Later Saturday, Israel will free 183 prisoners, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group said.

- 'Mixed emotions' -

During their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel which started the Gaza war, militants abducted Siegel from the Kfar Aza kibbutz community, and Bibas and Kalderon from kibbutz Nir Oz.

Militants took a total of 251 people hostage that day. Of those, 76 remain in Gaza, including at least 34 the military says are dead.

Those seized include Bibas's wife Shiri and two children, whom Hamas has declared dead, although Israeli officials have not confirmed that.

Bibas's sons -- Kfir, the youngest hostage whose second birthday was earlier this month, and his older brother Ariel whose fifth birthday was in August -- have become symbols of the hostages' ordeal.

"Our Yarden is supposed to return tomorrow and we are so excited but Shiri and the children still haven't returned," the Bibas family said on Instagram Friday. "We have such mixed emotions and we are facing extremely complex days."

Hundreds, including France's ambassador to Israel, had gathered in Tel Aviv's "Hostage Square", in anticipation of the live broadcast of the latest hostage releases.

Ahead of both exchanges in Khan Yunis Gaza and Gaza City, scores of masked Hamas fighters stood sentry, apparently to control onlookers.

In contrast to Thursday's frenzied exchange which drew Israeli condemnation, large crowds were mostly absent.

Ranks of heavily armed Hamas fighters held portraits of the group's slain leaders, including military chief Mohammed Deif, accused by Israel of being a mastermind of the October 7 attack and whose death Hamas confirmed on Thursday.

The arrangements for hostage handovers in Gaza have sometimes been chaotic, particularly Thursday's release in Khan Yunis.

Israel briefly delayed Thursday's prisoner release in protest, and the ICRC urged all parties to improve security.

- 'Difficult' situation -

After Saturday's hostage release, Gaza's key Rafah border crossing with Egypt is expected to reopen, a Hamas official and a source with knowledge of discussions told AFP.

"The mediators informed Hamas of Israel's approval to open Rafah crossing tomorrow, Saturday, after the completion of the fourth batch of prisoner exchange," the Hamas official said.

Rafah was a vital Gaza aid entry point before the Israeli military seized the Palestinian side of the crossing in May.

The EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said Friday the bloc has deployed a monitoring mission at the crossing "to support Palestinian border personnel and allow the transfer of individuals out of Gaza, including those who need medical care".

On Thursday, Israel released 110 inmates from Ofer prison, including high-profile former militant commander Zakaria Zubeidi, 49, who received a hero's welcome in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

On Friday, he called for "all our Palestinian people" to be freed from Israeli jails.

The fragile ceasefire's 42-day first phase hinges on the release of a total of 33 hostages in exchange for around 1,900 people, mostly Palestinians, in Israeli jails.

Negotiations for a second phase of the deal are set to start on Monday, according to a timeline provided by an Israeli official.

This phase is expected to cover the release of the remaining captives and to include discussions on a more permanent end to the war.

T.Murray--SMC