Middle East latest: Families welcome news of 3 more male hostages to be released

The organization representing families of hostages held in the Gaza strip was celebrating the news that three male hostages would be released Saturday as part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Israeli officials and Hamas have said that hostages 35, Keith Siegel, 65, and Ofer Kalderon, 54, would be released Saturday in the fourth round of exchanges in the ceasefire deal that has paused fighting in Gaza.

The Hostages Families Forum said Friday it “welcomes the joyous news.”

“We have both the sacred duty and moral right to bring all our brothers and sisters home,” they said. “We will not give up or stop at any stage until all hostages return home, down to the last one.”

Israeli officials say around 80 hostages remain in Gaza, including 3 taken captive before Oct. 7, 2023. During the first phase of the ceasefire deal, 33 hostages are set to be released.

On Thursday, Hamas released eight hostages in exchange for 110 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The chaotic sight of armed fighters escorting Israeli hostages through a crowd of thousands of onlookers caused Israeli leaders to briefly delay the release of the Palestinian prisoners, underscoring the fragility of the current truce.

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Here's the latest:

Hamas releases names of hostages to be released in next exchange

Hamas released the names of three male hostages set to be released Saturday.

The list of hostages to be released includes Yarden Bibas, 35, Keith Siegel, 65, and Ofer Kalderon, 54, Israeli officials confirmed, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

Saturday’s release will be the fourth since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire took effect.

Yarden Bibas was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7. Photos taken during the abduction appear to show him wounded. His wife, Shiri, and two boys, Ariel and Kfir, were also taken captive at the kibbutz. The boys, who were 4 and under 1 year old when they were captured, were the youngest hostages.

News that Bibas will be released has brought renewed attention to the uncertain fate of Bibas' family. Hamas has claimed that Shiri Bibas and the two boys were killed in an Israeli airstrike, but Israel has not verified the claim.

Military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said recently that the military was seriously concerned about the fate of the mother and her two boys.

Keith Siegel, an American Israeli originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was taken hostage from Kibbutz Kfar Aza along with his wife, Aviva Siegel. Aviva Siegel was released during a brief ceasefire period in November 2023, and since then has waged a high-profile campaign to free Keith and the other hostages remaining in Gaza.

Kalderon, a French-Israeli hostage, was captured by the militants from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his two children. His ex-wife, Hadas, was also taken captive. The two children and Hadas Kalderon were released during the hostage exchange in November.

Israeli strikes hit Lebanon

BEIRUT — Two people were killed and 10 others were wounded in an Israeli strike on an unofficial border crossing in eastern Lebanon early Friday morning, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it struck “a military site that included underground infrastructure for developing and producing combat equipment, in addition to infrastructure for crossing the Syrian-Lebanese border,” used by the militant group Hezbollah in the Bekaa Valley.

The statement also accused Hezbollah of launching a reconnaissance drone toward Israel Thursday, saying it’s a violation of the ceasefire agreement that halted the Israel-Hezbollah war in late November.

Lebanon’s state news agency said Israel launched four strikes on the Janta border crossing in the eastern province of Baalbeck, while two other strikes targeted two illegal Syria-Lebanon border crossings in northern Lebanon late Thursday and early Friday.

In a statement, Hezbollah legislator Ibrahim Moussawi called the strikes a very dangerous violation and a blatant and explicit aggression,” adding that “the Lebanese state, represented by the presidency, the government and the army, is required to take immediate action.”

Hezbollah has long relied on Iran for weapons, moving arms into Lebanon through Syria. Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem has said that the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad disrupted that route, and that the group will find alternative supply channels.