American-Israeli Keith Siegel was once launched by way of Hamas Saturday morning in the most recent hostage-for-prisoner swaps — making him the primary US citizen freed by way of the fear crew beneath the continued cease-fire deal.
Siegel was once launched simply earlier than 10:30 a.m. native time when the Pink Move arranged his liberate with Hamas after he spent the closing 484 days in captivity.
Siegel, 65, an occupational therapist from Chapel Hill, N.C., was once abducted along side his spouse, Aviva, when Hamas raided their house on Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7, 2023.
Aviva was once launched in November 2023 right through a prior hostage-for-prisoner change, and therefore lobbied then-President Biden and High Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver her husband of 43 years house.
Keith Siegel is loose after 484 days in captivity. Reuters
Siegel was once one in all 3 hostages launched Saturday. by means of REUTERS
“It’s simply merciless to assume that he’s [been] in such horrible stipulations for goodbye,” she instructed The Submit closing October, recalling being held captive in Hamas’ claustrophobic tunnels with little oxygen, meals or water.
“What they’re going via is the most harsh factor on Earth.”
Siegel — retaining the unusual “reward bag” — was once escorted by way of two Hamas terrorists and introduced on degree earlier than being passed over to the Pink Move.
Siegel was once closing noticed alive along fellow Israeli hostage Omri Miran in a Hamas propaganda clip launched in April. Within the clip, the daddy of 4 and grandfather of 5 — who moved to Israel 4 a long time in the past — gave the impression gaunt, and cried whilst begging for a cease-fire deal.
All over his time in captivity, Siegel’s mom, Gladys, died.
Siegel was once abducted along side his spouse, Aviva, when Hamas raided their house on Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7, 2023. James Messerschmidt
After it was once introduced he could be launched Saturday, Siegel’s daughter posted a video on Instagram that captured Aviva yelping with pleasure, “Dad is coming! Dad is at the record!”
Yarden Bibas, the daddy of the youngest Israeli kid abducted by way of Hamas, and French-Israeli Ofer Kalderon have been launched previous Saturday in Khan Younis.
With Siegel’s liberate, best two different American hostages nonetheless being held by way of Hamas are considered alive: Father of 3 Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, and Edan Alexander, 20, an IDF soldier who perhaps will probably be launched in the second one segment of the cease-fire deal.
4 different American hostages — Itay Chen, Omer Neutra and Gadi and Judi Haggai — had been showed lifeless by way of Israeli officers.
With Submit wires.
