Two of the three remaining American hostages are scheduled to be released after 15 months in captivity as part of a cease-fire deal signed by Hamas with Israel that goes into effect on Sunday. included in people.
Israel confirmed on Sunday that Sagi Dekel Chen and Keith Siegel were included on the list of Hamas hostages to be released in the first phase of the deal. The agreement entered into force at 11:15 a.m. local time on Sunday after several hours of delay.
In addition to the Americans, the list of Gaza prisoners to be released also includes the Bivas family, including two-year-old Kfir and five-year-old Ariel.
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Sixty hostages are believed to be alive in Gaza. A further 37 people died, their bodies falling into the hands of Hamas terrorists.
Keith Siegel, 65, and his wife, Aviva, were brutally abducted from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Azha during a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The couple were held together until November 2023, when Aviva was released as part of a hostage exchange.
Keith Siegel, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, appeared in a video released by a terrorist organization in April 2024.
Sagi Dekel Chen, 36, was living in Kibbutz Nir Oz with his wife and two children when he was taken from his home by Hamas.
Dekerchen's father, Jonathan, was born in Connecticut, and both are American citizens.
The third remaining American hostage, Edan Alexander from New Jersey, is not expected to be released during the initial stages of the ceasefire.
The Bibas family, mother Shiri (33), father Yarden (34), and two children Ariel and Kfir, were kidnapped together by terrorists on October 7 and dragged to Gaza.
The video of the kidnapping and the young ages of the Vivas children brought great attention to their case, not only in Israel but around the world.
Kfir, the youngest hostage taken in the war, was captured at the age of nine months. This means that he has spent most of his life as a prisoner of war in the hands of Hamas terrorists.
This infant has never celebrated a birthday outside of captivity.
Romi Gonen, Emily Damali and Doron Steinbrecher are scheduled to be the first hostages released by Hamas on Sunday.
The agreement was delayed by both sides because Hamas experienced “technical” problems with the name.
It is not clear when the women will be released.
A cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas almost came to an end on Sunday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the militants of failing to fulfill the purpose of the deal by not releasing the names of prisoners who were scheduled to be released before the deal was signed. It was about to collapse. I was going to start.
The 11-hour chaos was resolved three hours later, and a ceasefire took effect at 11:15 a.m. local time.
During the delay, Israel bombed the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, killing at least 13 people, according to Reuters.
