Hamas Frees 2 More Hostages For Fourth Exchange. Israel Asks ‘Where Are The Bibas Babies?’

<p>Hamas on Saturday released two out of three Israeli hostages as part of the fourth exchange under the ceasefire deal, ahead of the expected release of 183 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Militants in Gaza began releasing hostages on January 19 after holding them captive for more than 15 months, as part of the first phase of a ceasefire with Israel. 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. &nbsp;</p>
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<p dir=”ltr” lang=”en”>Returning hostages, Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon being handed over to IDF forces. <br /><br />Video credit: IDF Spokesperson <a href=”https://t.co/WA3U0ZU7S1″>pic.twitter.com/WA3U0ZU7S1</a></p>
&mdash; Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) <a href=”https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/1885622057221722418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>February 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<p>Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas were paraded on a stage before being handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, news agency AFP reported. Keith Siegel, an American-Israeli, is set to be freed in a similar ceremony at Gaza City’s port in the north. Israel’s military later confirmed that Bibas and Kalderon had returned to Israeli territory. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Later on Saturday, Israel will release 183 Palestinian prisoners, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club advocacy group stated, as per AFP’s report. “The updated number of prisoners to be released tomorrow is 183,” the group’s spokeswoman Amani Sarahneh said on Friday, after previously announcing that 90 would be freed. &nbsp;</p>
<p>The hostages released on Saturday were among the 251 people abducted by militants during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the ongoing Gaza war. Siegel was taken from the Kfar Aza kibbutz community, while Bibas and French-Israeli Kalderon were abducted from kibbutz Nir Oz. Of those kidnapped, 76 remain in Gaza, including at least 34 whom the Israeli military believes are dead. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Among those still unaccounted for are Bibas&rsquo;s wife and two children, whom Hamas has declared dead. Israeli officials have not confirmed this claim, as per the report. The Bibas children&mdash;Kfir, who turned two this month, and Ariel, who turned five in August&mdash;have become symbols of the hostage crisis. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Hamas claims an Israeli airstrike in November 2023 killed the two children and their mother, Shiri. “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. “We have such mixed emotions and we are facing extremely complex days.” &nbsp;</p>
<p>Israel’s foreign ministry posted on X, “Hamas, where are the Bibas babies? 483 days have passed. Where are they?” &nbsp;</p>
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<p dir=”ltr” lang=”en”>Hamas, where are the Bibas babies?<br /><br />On October 7, Hamas terrorists brutally kidnapped Shiri and her two children, Kfir and Ariel Bibas from their home and took them captive to Gaza.<br /><br />483 days have passed. Where are they? <a href=”https://t.co/IYKI96YN9f”>pic.twitter.com/IYKI96YN9f</a></p>
&mdash; Israel ישראל (@Israel) <a href=”https://twitter.com/Israel/status/1885346682956587457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<p>Ahead of the exchanges in Khan Yunis and Gaza City, masked Hamas fighters stood guard, apparently controlling onlookers. Unlike Thursday’s chaotic scene, which drew Israeli condemnation, large crowds were mostly absent, as per the report. Green Hamas and Palestinian flags flew at the Gaza port, while heavily armed Hamas fighters held portraits of the group&rsquo;s slain leaders, including military chief Mohammed Deif, whom Israel accused of masterminding the October 7 attack. &nbsp;</p>
<p>The arrangements for hostage handovers have often been chaotic. On Thursday, Israel briefly delayed its prisoner release in protest over the manner of the exchange, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) urged all parties to improve security. &nbsp;</p>
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<h3><strong>Gaza&rsquo;s Rafah Border Crossing With Egypt Expected To Reopen</strong></h3>
<p>Once Saturday&rsquo;s hostage release is completed, Gaza&rsquo;s Rafah border crossing with Egypt is expected to reopen. “The mediators informed Hamas of Israel’s approval to open Rafah crossing tomorrow, Saturday, after the completion of the fourth batch of prisoner exchange,” a Hamas official told AFP. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Rafah was a crucial entry point for humanitarian aid into Gaza before Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side of the crossing in May. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday that the EU had 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.” &nbsp;</p>
<h3><strong>Palestinian Prisoners Released Amid Emotional Reunions &nbsp;</strong></h3>
<p>On Thursday, Israel released 110 Palestinian inmates from Ofer prison, including former militant commander Zakaria Zubeidi, 49, who received a hero&rsquo;s welcome in Ramallah. On Friday, Zubeidi called for “all our Palestinian people” to be freed from Israeli jails. “The situation of the prisoners is very difficult and we hope for their urgent release,” he told AFP. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Among those freed was Hussein Nasser, who received little public attention but was the centre of his daughter Raghda Nasser&rsquo;s world. “Where’s Dad?” the 21-year-old asked tearfully while moving through the crowd, according to an AFP correspondent. Her mother was pregnant with her when Nasser was jailed 22 years ago. “I just visited him behind the glass in Israeli prisons. I cannot express my feelings,” she said. &nbsp;</p>
<p>The first phase of the fragile ceasefire, set to last 42 days, hinges on the release of 33 hostages in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. Negotiations for a second phase of the deal are expected to start on Monday, according to an Israeli official. This phase is expected to address the release of remaining captives and discussions on a more permanent ceasefire.</p>