American Israeli Hostage on List to Be Released

After 16 months in captivity, Israeli American hostage Keith Siegel is slated to be released Saturday.  

Siegel is 65 and from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but moved to Israel decades ago. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas took Siegel and his wife Aviva Siegel from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza and drove them in their own vehicle into Gaza. Siegel was shot in the hand and his ribs were broken when he was taken captive.

For 51 days, Aviva Siegel was held in Hamas tunnels with her husband until she was released in November 2023 during a brief ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.  

“You be strong for me, and I’ll be strong for you,” Aviva Siegel, 63, recalls saying to her husband when she parted from him in the tunnels beneath Gaza. Since her release, Aviva Siegel has dedicated her time and energy to advocating for her husband’s freedom, and the freedom of all the hostages.  

“My heart will explode,” Aviva Siegel told The Daily Signal during an interview in December when asked about her hope for her husband’s release. “I will scream. I will jump into the air, and it’s just going to be … I don’t know, I’ll dance. I’m sure that I’ll dance and scream.”  

Keith Siegel is one of three Israeli hostages expected to be released Saturday, along with Ofer Kalderon, 53, and Yarden Bibas, 34. Kalderon and Bibas and were taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Bibas’ wife Shiri Bibas and their two young children, now 5 and 2, were also taken hostage. The release of Yarden Bibas before his wife and children has increased fears over the status of his wife and their children. Last year, Hamas claimed that Shiri Bibas and her children were killed in an Israeli airstrike, but this was never confirmed.  

The release of the three men comes about two weeks into a six-week ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. A total of 33 hostages are slated to be released during the six-week period, along with additional hostages during phase two of the ceasefire deal.  

So far, 15 hostages have been released during the ceasefire, including: Romi Gonen, 24; Emily Damari, 28; Doron Steinbrecher, 31; Karina Ariev, 20; Daniella Gilboa, 20; Naama Levy, 20; Liri Albag, 19; Agam Berger, 20; Arbel Yehoud, 29; Gadi Moses, 80; and five Thai hostages, including: Pongsak Thanna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Saethao, and Surasak Lamnao.

After Keith Siegel’s release Saturday, two American Israeli hostages will still be Gaza—Edan Alexander, 21; Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36.