Yarden Bibas, Ofer Kalderon, and Keith Siegel return home after 484 days in Hamas captivity • IDF opens fire on armed group in Syrian Golan
Eyal Zamir will replace Herzi Halevi as IDF chief, Netanyahu announces
Zamir came a close second to Halevi in the race for IDF chief in January 2023, in a pick made by then-defense minister Benny Gantz.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening announced Defense Ministry Director-General, Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir, as his pick to replace IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi.
Netanyahu to fly to Washington Sunday to meet with Trump
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will depart Sunday morning to meet with US President Donald Trump, the prime minister’s office announced Saturday evening.
Netanyahu will be the first head of state that Trump will meet after his inauguration.
The two leaders will discuss Gaza, the hostages, the confrontation against the Iranian axis, and other key issues.
Ofer Kalderon’s cousin in Tel Aviv: Hostages could’ve returned long-ago. Thank you President Trump
Following the release of Ofer Kalderon on Saturday morning, his cousin Yifat took to the streets of Tel Aviv to thank President Donald Trump for helping to free him.
“How much we waited for you and cried. We fought for them. This is a moment of pure happiness,” said Yifat.
“But especially today, it is important to remember: Ofer, Yarden, and Keith could have returned home a long time ago. They were deprived of too many days in captivity for criminal political reasons,” she added.
“If it weren’t for President Trump, they wouldn’t be with us today. This is a stain that will not be erased.”
White House praises return of Israeli-American Keith Siegel
The statement said that the Trump administration had worked hard to secure Siegel’s release.
The Trump administration celebrated the return of American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, as well as Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas, in a Saturday statement.
“Today, Americans celebrate the return of American-Israeli citizen Keith Siegel and two Israelis who were held captive by Hamas terrorists since October 7, 2023,” the White House stated.
“President Trump and his Administration have worked diligently to secure their release and are committed to freeing all remaining hostages.”
Keith Siegel reunites with family after 484 days in capitivity
Keith Siegel reunited with his family in Ichilov Hospital Saturday after spending 484 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza.
Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon were kept in small cells, ex-hostage Tami Metzger reveals
Former hostage Tami Metzger, in an interview with Kan News on Saturday, said that Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon were kept in cells that had enough space for only two people.
She had met with the two released hostages in the early days of captivity. In the afternoons, Bibas and Kalderon were taken out to drink coffee and eat, and then the terrorists returned them to their “pens.”
“Yarden had a very hard time with the lack of knowledge. I don’t think he knew exactly what had happened,” Tami said. “His feelings were intense, his fear was great and turbulent, with crying and sadness.”
Metzger was released from Hamas captivity in November 2023. Her husband was murdered in captivity.
IAF strikes terrorists in Jenin, reportedly killing teenager, wounding two adults
The Israeli air force struck armed terrorists as part of its ongoing counterterrorism operation in Jenin, the IDF announced Saturday afternoon.
As a result of the strike, a teenager was killed, and two adults were wounded, the PA-run WAFA news outlet reported, citing the Red Crescent.
Security forces ensure absence of celebrations for released prisoners in joint West Bank op.
The IDF said that they will “maintain zero tolerance for disturbances and expressions of support for Hamas.”
The IDF’s West Bank division and the Civil Administration conducted a joint operation with the Shin Bet, Israel Prison Service, and the Border Police to ensure that there would be no celebratory gatherings for the prisoners who are being released on Saturday as part of the hostage, ceasefire agreement, the IDF announced in a joint Saturday statement.
On Thursday, violent riots erupted in the Binyamin Brigade region, where rioters threw Molotov cocktails and stones at Israeli security forces. The troops responded with warning shots, and the rioters dispersed.
The IDF said that they will “maintain zero tolerance for disturbances and expressions of support for Hamas.”
Celebratory gatherings for release of terrorists
Zakaria Zubeidi, a former commander of the Fatah-aligned Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in Jenin, received a hero’s welcome in Ramallah on Thursday night after he was released with 109 other Palestinian prisoners as part of phase one of Israel’s ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
And on Tuesdsay night, Israel Police arrested 12 suspects in the Binyamina area of the West Bank, north of Jerusalem, after they displayed their support for the Hamas terror organization with flags and cheered for the release of a recently released terrorist, the Israel Police said Wednesday.
Footage of the displays went viral on social media, showing the suspects participating in a celebration, waving Hamas flags, and firing weapons into the air.
During the joint operation with Border Police and the IDF, they searched through the suspects’ belongings and found Hamas flags, banners, fireworks, guns, money and more. Their vehicle was also confiscated by the security forces.
The suspects were brought into the Jerusalem District Police’s Serious Crimes Unit for further questioning.
Who are the terrorists that were released?
Israel handed over the list of terrorists that were released on Saturday to Hamas on Friday night.
Among these terrorists, 150 were released to Gaza. Seven of the 150 were serving life sentences and were deported to Gaza, while the rest of the 150 were originally from there. According to the report, the Gazans were arrested after October 7 during IDF ground operations in Gaza.
Thirty-two will be released in the West Bank, and one terrorist, an Egyptian, will be sent to Egypt.
Among the list of terrorists that will be released are Shadi Amori, who took part in planning the bus bomb attack at the Megiddo Junction in 2002, killing 17 people; Ashraf Abu Sarur, who killed Sgt. Shahar Vekret, an IDF soldier, near Rachel’s tomb in 2000; and Ahmed Aslam, a Fatah terrorist who killed a couple, Avi and Avital Wolanski, in 2002.
Shadi Amori was one of the planners behind the bombing attack on June 5, 2002, when a Palestinian suicide bomber drove up to the 830 Egged bus that was traveling from Tel Aviv to Tiberias on Highway 65, and at 7:15 a.m., the bomb detonated in the car next to the fuel tank of the bus, causing a huge explosion.
The terrorist attack killed 13 soldiers and four civilians.
On November 10, 2000, during the Second Intifada, Ashraf Abu Sarur shot and killed Sgt. Shahar Vekret near Rachel’s Tomb at the entrance of Bethlehem.
On August 5, 2002, Ahmed Aslam opened fire at a car that was traveling on the Ramallah-Nablus road near Eli in the West Bank, killing Avi Wolanski and his wife Avital, and also wounding one of their children, who was three at the time of the attack.
A terrorist cell that was associated with Arafat’s Fatah movement, Martyrs of the Palestinian Popular Army, claimed responsibility for the attack.
‘Yarden is home, but the home is missing,’ Bibas family says following his release
“Yarden is home, but the home is missing,” Bibas family members said in a statement following the father’s release.
“Yarden is a father who left the shelter to protect his family, bravely survived captivity and returned to a reality too difficult to bear.”
The family asked the Israeli public to “protect Yarden and his soul.”
“It will take a few days to reconnect with Yarden, but we are continuing with our calls and hopes for the return of Shiri, the children, and all remaining hostages…we do not stop until they are all home.”
‘An emotional day for all of us,’ Dr. Hagar Mizrahi says as ex-hostages undergo medical exams
“At Sheba and Ichilov hospitals, the returned hostages are undergoing an initial medical evaluation together with their families and friends,” Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, the head of the Medical Division at the Health Ministry, said Saturday afternoon.
“This is an emotional day for all of us after so many days of a difficult reality. It is a complex event, both emotionally and medically, for the returnees to Israel, their families, the families of the hostages, and the entire people of Israel, both in the country and abroad,” Mizrahi added.
- Hamas launched a massive attack on October 7, with thousands of terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza border and taking some 240 hostages into Gaza.
- Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered, including over 350 at the Re’im music festival and hundreds of Israeli civilians across Gaza border communities.
- 79 hostages remain in Gaza.
- 49 hostages in total have been killed in captivity, IDF says.
- The IDF launched a ground invasion of Lebanon on September 30.
- The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire came into effect on November 27 at 4:00 a.m.
- Netanyahu confirmed the first phase of the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire on January 17, 2025
- 735 terrorists will be released as part of the hostage deal