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Dear A.,
American-Israeli Keith Siegel, Yarden Bibas, and Ofer Calderon are finally back home.
After surviving 484 days of horrific abuse in Hamas captivity, the three were freed today and brought back to Israel. Once again, Hamas paraded the hostages in front of the cameras and forced them to wave to a crowd of armed terrorists and Gazans jeering at them.
A reporter for Al-Jazeera
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stood among the terrorists as they forced 65-year-old Siegel onto the stage, in yet another instance of the Qatari-funded outlet promoting Hamas propaganda.
Tonight, Keith, Yarden, and Ofer are with their family members as they begin a long and difficult road to recovery.
While held hostage, North Carolina native Keith Siegel was kept underground for long periods of time and was moved between civilian homes. According to reports, the terrorists would lock him in a room so he would not be spotted by the IDF. Food was extremely scarce.
After landing at Ichilov Hospital and reuniting with his wife Aviva, who spent nearly 16 months fighting tirelessly for his release, Keith — visibly pale and gaunt — walked slowly out of the helicopter, draped an Israeli flag over his shoulders, and refused to use a wheelchair as he took his first steps of freedom.
Keith was greeted at the hospital by his three daughters Elan, Gal, and Shir. Watch the moving moment when they reunited with their father singing, "Dad, you've come back to us! What a champion you are that you survived!"
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Yarden Bibas was released today without his wife Shiri and children Ariel and Kfir, who are still held hostage in Gaza.
He spent the last 484 days being moved from place to place in Khan Younis — in homes and tunnels. Yarden was subjected to grave psychological abuse, including being compelled to film a video after the terrorists told him his family was killed in Gaza. His captors reportedly taunted him incessantly about Shiri, Ariel, and baby Kfir. Now, he is clinging to hope that they will come home.
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"A quarter of our heart has returned to us after 15 long months," the Bibas family said in a statement. "There are no words to describe the relief of holding Yarden in our hands, embracing him, and hearing his voice. Yarden has returned home, but his home remains incomplete.
Yarden is a father who left his safe room to protect his family, bravely survived captivity, and returned to an unbearable reality."
"We will take a few days to reunite with Yarden, but we continue with hope and the call for the return of Shiri, the children, and all the hostages. Please continue to make their voices heard and emphasize the urgency of their return.
Help us echo this now more than ever. For Yarden and for everyone. We won't stop until everyone is home 🧡"
“I’m here. I’m here. You are my life. I never gave up," Ofer Calderon said upon embracing his family today for the first time since he was taken hostage.
Ofer was kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, along with his daughter Sahar and son Erez. The children were released in November 2023. Ofer's last words to Sahar when she was returned from captivity were, "I don't want to die in the tunnels."
Today, Ofer got to hold his children in his arms once again.
“We have witnessed how, through extraordinary mental strength, he survived this hell," Ofer's family said. "Ofer endured months in a nightmare, and we are proud of his ability to survive and hold onto the hope of embracing his children again.”
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79 hostages, including 6 Americans, remain in the clutches of Hamas in Gaza.
"Every one of the hostages deserves to come home soon," Israeli President Isaac Herzog said. "We will not rest nor be silent until we return all our sisters and brothers from the hell of captivity in Gaza - until the last one!"
Prime Minister Netanyahu to depart tomorrow for Washington, D.C.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will leave Israel tomorrow for Washington, D.C., where he will meet with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Monday and President Trump on Tuesday.
Netanyahu will be the first national leader to meet with President Trump following his inauguration.
The prime minister's conversation with Witkoff on Monday will reportedly initiate talks on the second stage of the hostage deal. Witkoff will also speak this week with Qatar’s prime minister and with senior Egyptian officials, after which he and Netanyahu will discuss when delegations will be sent to engage in further negotiations.
We will continue to provide real-time updates on
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our social media feeds .
Cory Meyer
Director of Communications
The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
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