Israel and Hamas will carry out their fourth prisoners-for-captives swap of the Gaza ceasefire on Saturday with the Palestinian group set to free three Israeli captives in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
In a statement on Telegram on Friday, the armed wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, named the three captives as Israeli-French citizen Ofer Kalderon, Israeli citizen Yarden Bibas and Israeli-American Keith Siegel.
Bibas, 34, is the father of Kfir, who was nine months old when the family was taken by Hamas in October 2023, and Ariel, who was four at the time.
There has been no Israeli confirmation on the fates of Kfir, Ariel or their mother, Shiri.
But Hamas said in late 2023 that the children and their mother were killed by an Israeli bombardment in the early months of the Gaza war.
Siegel, currently in his 50s, was taken captive with his wife, Aviva, who was released by Hamas in the first captives-for-prisoners exchange in November 2023.
Kalderon, also in his 50s, was abducted by Hamas with his two children, Erez and Sahar. The children were also released in that first exchange.
Al Jazeera’s Laura Khan, reporting from Amman, Jordan, because Al Jazeera has been banned from operating in Israel, said the Israeli prime minister’s office said it has received and accepted the list.
She said Bibas’s release is going to be viewed as particularly symbolic and important in Israel.
“He’s interesting for two reasons. One is that there was a sticking point between Israel and Hamas in these negotiations, and that was whether to release men under 50. At first, Hamas didn’t want to do that. They wanted to release civilians, women and youth first, but then they decided to [yield] to that point,” she said.
She said the second reason was that Israelis had expected Bibas, as well as Siegel and Kalderon, to be released earlier as part of the first phase of the ceasefire, which took effect on January 19.
“However, they haven’t yet been released, and Israeli forces have said in the past that they are concerned about their wellbeing,” Khan said.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Media Office said 90 Palestinian pri