Hamas frees three more Israelis in fourth hostage-prisoner exchange

Three civilian men handed over to Red Cross amid tight security in Khan Younis and at Gaza port

• 

  Palestinians are greeted by a crowd as they exit a Red Cross bus in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on February 1, after being released from Israeli prisons as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. AP

• 

  A freed Palestinian detainee hugs a boy after arriving in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. Reuters

• 

  A Palestinian detainee released by Israel is hugged by relatives as he steps down from a Red Cross bus in Ramallah. AFP

• 

  A freed Palestinian detainee is hugged in Ramallah. Reuters

• 

  A freed Palestinian detainee is held aloft after arriving in Ramallah. AP

• 

  A freed Palestinian detainee is carried on another man's shoulders in Ramallah. Reuters

• 

  A Palestinian man celebrates his release from an Israeli jail, in Ramallah. Reuters

• 

  A Palestinian former detainee waves a pair of crutches in the air as he is cheered by the crowd greeting him in Ramallah. AFP

• 

  Preparations are made for the release of Israeli hostages in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on February 1. Sky News Arabia screengrab

• 

  Israeli hostage Ofer Kalderon, held in Gaza since October 7, 2023, is accompanied by Hamas fighters to his release on February 1 as part of a ceasefire and a hostages for detainees swap between Hamas and Israel in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

• 

  Ofer Kalderon is released in Khan Younis. Sky News Arabia screengrab

• 

  Ofer Kalderon is released in Khan Younis. Reuters

• 

  Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas is released in Khan Younis on February 1. Sky News Arabia screengrab

• 

  Screengrab of hostages being released in Khan Younis. Sky News Arabia

• 

  Yarden Bibas is released in Khan Younis, Gaza. Sky News Arabia screengrab

• 

  Hostages are released in Khan Younis, Gaza. Sky News Arabia screengrab

• 

  A stage is set up near Gaza port for the release Israeli-American hostage Keith Siegel. Sky News Arabia screengrab

• 

  Paperwork is signed for the release of Keith Siegel in Gaza. Screengrab Sky News Arabia

• 

  Mr Siegel is released by Hamas militants. Reuters

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

Hamas freed three male Israeli civilians on Saturday in the fourth exchange of hostages for Palestinians detained by Israel under the terms of the Gaza truce that began on January 19.

Ofer Calderon, 54, and Yarden Bibas, 35, were handed over to Red Cross (ICRC) officials in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Israeli-American hostage Keith Siegel, 65, was released from Hamas captivity near Gaza port.

Israel later released 183 Palestinians in exchange, most of whom were returned to Gaza. Thirty-two prisoners were taken by bus to Ramallah, the main Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank, while one was sent into exile through Egypt.

The hostage handovers by Hamas were carried out amid a strong deployment of fighters and with cordons to prevent crowds from causing the chaotic scenes seen during previous hostage releases. Israel delayed releasing 90 Palestinian prisoners during the third exchange on Thursday after militants were seen struggling to hold back a crush of people around hostage Yehoud Arbel.

A Palestinian former detainee is greeted by family and friends as he arrives in Ramallah after being released from an Israeli prison on Saturday. EPA

After Saturday's hostage release, 50 child patients from Gaza were taken through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt to receive specialist medical care. They included children with cancer, as well some with serious injuries suffered during the war.

Hamas and allied militant groups in Gaza have now released 13 of the 33 Israeli hostages due to be freed over six weeks in the first stage of the three-phase ceasefire deal that halted more than 15 months of Israel's devastating military offensive in Gaza. Five Thai hostages were also released during the exchange on Thursday.

Palestinian militants took about of 250 people hostage during the raids on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that triggered the war in Gaza as the Israeli military launched a devastating offensive with the goal of eradicating Hamas. Seventy-six hostages are believed to be still in Gaza, including at least 34 the military says are dead.

Israeli-American hostage Keith Siegel released in Gaza

00:38

Israel on Saturday demanded information from mediators who brokered the ceasefire about the fate of Mr Bibas's wife and two young sons, who were also abducted from the Nir Oz kibbutz where the family lived.

"Yarden has returned home. But his wife Shiri and his children Ariel and Kfir have not. We have been searching for them for a long time, tracking their traces and investigating their fate," Gal Hirsch, Israel's hostage co-ordinator, said in a statement.

"The Bibas family... has been living in constant fear for their lives for a long time... We continue to demand information about their condition from the mediators."

Hamas has previously declared that Shiri and the children were killed in an Israeli air strike in November 2023, but Israel has not confirmed their deaths.

The ceasefire deal was brokered by mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

Negotiations for a second phase of the deal are set to start on Monday, the 16th day of the ceasefire, according to the truce terms provided to The National by sources close to the negotiations.

The second phase is expected to cover the release of the remaining captives and to include discussions on a more permanent end to the war.

US President Donald Trump, who has claimed credit for the deal, is expected to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday.

With reporting from agencies