Middle East latest: Hamas frees 3 hostages, Israel releases Palestinians as part of ceasefire deal

Hamas freed three hostages in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday and Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners in the fourth round of exchanges during the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

The six-week phase one truce calls for the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 prisoners, as well as the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid to the devastated territory.

Israel and Hamas are set next week to begin negotiating a second phase of the ceasefire, which calls for releasing the remaining hostages and extending the truce indefinitely. The war could resume in early March if an agreement is not reached.

Palestinian health authorities in Gaza also announced that the long-shuttered Rafah border crossing with Egypt would reopen on Saturday for thousands of Palestinians who desperately need medical care — a breakthrough that signals the ceasefire agreement continues to gain traction.

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Here's the latest:

In Gaza, a surreal homecoming is tinged with grief

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Yaser Abu Hamad was arrested for his involvement in the Islamic Jihad militant group in August 2006. He last stepped foot in the Gaza Strip at a time when Hamas’ first parliamentary victory was shaking up Palestinian politics and Israel was reeling from its 2005 disengagement from the territory.

Transferred to prison in Israel and held for almost two decades, Abu Hamad missed countless historical milestones: Hamas’ violent takeover of Gaza, the imposition of a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade, five bloody wars and more violent skirmishes with Israel.

But nothing has transformed the Gaza he knew like this current Israel-Hamas war that may be the most deadly in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Abu Hamad was released to Gaza on Saturday with some 150 other Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jail. Most of them were detained during the war without trial and others, like Abu Hamad, were serving long sentences for their involvement in attacks against Israelis.

Abu Hamad couldn’t have anticipated the pain that would accompany his freedom. He discovered that during the war, 20 members of his family, including his mother, sisters, brother’s wife and nephews, were killed by a barrage of Israeli airstrikes on his hometown of Khan Younis. Instead of running into their arms as he imagined, he headed to see their graves.

Netanyahu to fly to Washington on Sunday to meet with Trump

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will fly to Washington on Sunday for a visit in which he will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, his office said Saturday.

Trump invited Netanyahu to the White House last week, making the Israeli leader the first foreign head of state to meet with him in his second term.

Netanyahu’s visit comes as the United States is putting pressure on Israel and Hamas to continue a ceasefire that has paused a devastating 15-month war in Gaza. Talks about the ceasefire’s more difficult second phase, which aims to end the war, begin Monday.

The Washington meeting is a chance for Netanyahu, under pressure at home, to remind the world of the support he has received from Trump over the years, and to defend Israel's conduct of the war.

Last year, the two men met face-to-face for the first time in nearly four years at Trump's Florida Mar-a-Lago estate. Netanyahu's office said the two leaders would discuss "Gaza, the hostages, the handling of all elements of the Iranian axis, and other key issues."

Thai foreign minister and army chief visit 5 released hostages

TEL AVIV, Israel — A delegation of senior Thai officials including the foreign minister and army chief of staff on Saturday visited the five Thai nationals who were released from Hamas captivity earlier this week.

Surasak Rumnao, 32, Watchara Sriaoun, 33, Sathian Suwannakham, 35, Pongsak Thaenna, 36, and Bannawat Saethao, 27, were released on Thursday, along with three Israeli hostages, as part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

During the visit, the five men also spoke by video conference with Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said in a post on X after visiting the Shamir Medical Center in central Israel, where the Thais were recovering, that Thai and Israeli officials were coordinating their return home soon.

The head of the hospital, Dr. Osnat Levzion-Korach, said that all five men were in “stable, good condition” and were “beginning to open up and talk.”

Siegel reunited with family after release from Gaza captivity

JERUSALEM — Israeli-American hostage Keith Siegel had an emotional reunion with his family members following his release from captivity in Gaza.

In footage released by Israel’s government press office, Siegel’s daughters greeted him at the hospital, where doctors are monitoring his condition, with a song and hugged him tightly. He told them they were “champions.”

Siegel, who hails from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was handed over by Hamas militants on Saturday along with two other male hostages, Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon.

The White House issued a statement saying, “Today, Americans celebrate the return of American-Israeli citizen Keith Siegel and two Israelis who were held captive by Hamas terrorists since October 7, 2023. President Trump and his Administration have worked diligently to secure their release and are committed to freeing all remaining hostages.”

Family of Bibas rejoice at his freedom

TEL AVIV, Israel — The family of Yarden Bibas says “there are no words to describe the relief of holding Yarden in our hands, embracing him, and hearing his voice,” after his release from Hamas' captivity on Saturday.

Bibas, 35, was taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oc. 7, 2023. His wife, Shiri, and their two young boys, Ariel and Kfir, were also taken that day and are still captive in Gaza. It is unknown if they are still alive.

“Yarden has returned home, but the home remains incomplete,” the family wrote. “Yarden is a father who left his safe room to protect his family, bravely survived captivity, and returned to an unbearable reality.”

The family said it “continues with hope” and made a plea to the public to keep pressing for the release of all remaining hostages.

Argentinian officials celebrate the release of an Israeli-Argentine hostage

JERUSALEM — Argentinian officials are celebrating the release of Israeli-Argentine Yarden Bibas from Hamas captivity after almost 16 months of the war in Gaza.

President Javier Milei of Argentina, a staunch supporter of Israel, posted a stream of emotional videos all morning Saturday on X showing Bibas greeting his relatives after his release with long and tearful hugs.

The Israeli Embassy in Argentina says that Bibas obtained Argentine citizenship through his wife, Shiri, and their two small children, Ariel and Kfir, are also Argentinian. The condition of Shiri and their two sons, the youngest hostages to be abducted during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, remains unclear. Hamas claimed last year that they had been killed by an Israeli airstrike, but Israeli officials never confirmed that.

Axel Wahnish, a Sephardic rabbi and the Argentine ambassador to Israel, said that Argentine authorities were following Bibas’ release in the exchange closely. He expressed hope that “all the kidnapped people can return safely to their homes.”

Wahnish also praised Milei for his strong condemnations of Hamas, which he said stood in contrast to the “silence of some leaders of the free world.”

Released Palestinians describe harsh prison conditions in Israel

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinians who were sentenced to years in prison over deadly attacks against Israelis and released into the occupied West Bank described harsh conditions, beatings and other abuse in prison. Many appeared frail as they reveled in their homecoming on Saturday.

Mohammad Kaskus, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison over his militancy during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s, told The Associated Press that he faced beatings and intimidation during interrogations. He said that the food provisions in prison were insufficient, with meager snacks instead of full meals often leaving him hungry.

The Israeli Prison Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Another released prisoner, Murad Hmeidan, who was serving a life sentence plus 25 years in a case also related to his involvement in attacks against Israelis, said “the treatment was extremely bad.” He said that seeing the deaths of fellow prisoners in detention from wounds or illnesses over the years made him feel that “there is a serious risk to the lives of everyone in Israeli prisons.”

The Palestinian Prisoners' Society, an advocacy group, has recorded the deaths 54 Palestinians inside Israeli prison since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Israel has previously said that military prosecutors are investigating Palestinian deaths in custody and did not offer further comment on Saturday.

Arab nations reject Trump’s suggestion to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan

CAIRO — Powerful Arab nations have rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring Egypt and Jordan.

Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League released a joint statement on Saturday following a meeting of foreign ministers.

They said they reject any plans to move Palestinians out of their territories in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Yarden Bibas seen arriving in Israeli hospital after release from Gaza

TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli army released footage of Yarden Bibas arriving at a hospital in central Israel and meeting his mother for the first time after his release earlier Saturday from 15 months of captivity in Gaza. The two are seen locked in a silent embrace.

Bibas, 35, returned to Israel without his wife, Shiri Bibas, or his two young sons, Kfir and Ariel, who remain in captivity. Hamas claims the three were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel has not confirmed their deaths but says it is gravely concerned for their welfare. Ariel was 4 years old and Kfir was 9 months old when they were taken with their mother during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Bibas along with Ofer Kalderon and Keith Siegal, who were also freed on Saturday. He added, “Our thoughts are now with Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas and all our hostages. We will continue to work to bring them home.”

Freed hostage Keith Siegel arrives in hospital in Israel

JERUSALEM — Newly released hostage Keith Siegel looked frail and appeared to be walking slowly in footage released by the Israeli military shortly after his release from captivity in Gaza.

Still, in Associated Press footage the 65-year-old Israeli-American refused a wheelchair upon landing at the hospital where doctors will check his medical condition. Wrapped in an Israeli flag, we waved to people in nearby balconies waving back at him.

Siegel was injured in the Hamas attack October 7, 2023, his ribs broken and hand bleeding when he was dragged into Gaza, according to his wife Aviva Siegel, who was taken hostage with him but released in November 2023.

Watching the first moments of her husband’s release on television in a southern border community near Gaza as she waited to reunite with him, Aviva Siegel said, “There he is, Keith, there he is, wow!”

“They’ve put a hat on him!” she exclaimed.

Israel says all 183 Palestinian prisoners set for release are now free

RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Israeli Prison Authority says that all 183 Palestinian prisoners slated for release on Saturday have been freed. Most of them, including 111 arrested after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack, were released to Gaza. Just over two dozen returned to cheering crowds in the occupied West Bank. Another seven serving life sentences were transferred to Egypt ahead of their deportation.

That concludes the fourth prisoner-for-hostage swap in the six-week initial phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Sick and wounded children leave Gaza for treatment as border crossing reopens

RAFAH CROSSING, Egypt — A group of 50 sick and wounded Palestinian children began crossing to Egypt for treatment through Gaza's Rafah crossing on Saturday, in the first opening of the border since Israel captured it nearly nine months ago.

The reopening of the Rafah crossing represents a significant breakthrough that bolsters the ceasefire deal Israel and Hamas agreed to earlier this month. Israel agreed to reopen the crossing after Hamas released the last living female hostages in Gaza.

Egyptian television showed an Palestinian Red Cross ambulance pulling up to the crossing gate, and several children were brought out on stretchers and transferred to ambulances on the Egyptian side.

Israel begins freeing Palestinian prisoners

OFER MILITARY PRISON, West Bank — Israel has begun freeing 183 Palestinian prisoners due for release after Hamas freed three hostages as part of the ceasefire deal that has halted 15 months of fighting in the Gaza Strip.

A bus departed Ofer Military Prison with some 32 prisoners headed for the West Bank. About 150 other prisoners were being sent to Gaza or deported.

According to Palestinian authorities, a total of 183 Palestinian prisoners are to be released, including dozens serving lengthy or life sentences and 111 people from the Gaza Strip who were arrested after Oct. 7, 2023, and held without trial.

Freed hostage reunites with father and sister

TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli military published footage of released hostage Yarden Bibas reuniting with his father and sister at a military base outside of Gaza, where he is undergoing initial medical checks immediately after entering Israel. He closed his eyes as his father, Eli, and sister Ofri hugged him fiercely. “Sweetheart,” his father said, as the family embraced and cried.

Bibas, 35, is the father of the two youngest hostages in Gaza, whose plight has become a rallying cry for Israelis. The Bibas sons — 4 years old and 9 months old at the time of their abduction — and their mother, Shiri, are still in captivity, and feared dead.

Shiri Bibas and the two children are the last woman and children held in captivity in Gaza who have not been confirmed dead by Israel.

In November 2023, Yarden Bibas was filmed by Hamas as he was told that Shiri Bibas and the children were kidnapped and killed in an Israeli airstrike. In the video, filmed under duress, Yarden is sobbing and pleading with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring their bodies to Israel for burial.

Israel dismissed the video as “psychological terror” and said there was no concrete information about the status of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, but there have been no signs of life from the three in the past year.

Siegel returns to Israel

Israel confirmed that American Israeli hostage Keith Siegel had crossed the border from Gaza after being handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross at a ceremony in Gaza City. The Israeli military said in a statement that he was headed to a reception point at a military base, where he would be met by family members before heading to a hospital.

Family of French Israeli hostage celebrates his return

PARIS — The family of Ofer Kalderon said they were “overwhelmed with joy, relief and emotion” after his release by Hamas.

Kalderon, a 54-year-old French-Israeli citizen, was one of three male hostages released Saturday as part of a ceasefire deal that halted fighting in Gaza after more than 15 months of war.

Kalderon was kidnapped by Hamas from the Nir Oz kibbutz on Oct. 7, along with his daughter Sahar and son Erez. The children were released in November 2023 during a temporary ceasefire.

“Today, we finally embrace Ofer, seeing and truly comprehending that he is here with us,” his family said in a statement released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters. “We have witnessed how, through extraordinary mental strength, he survived this hell. 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."

The family added a note of support for the remaining hostages still being held by Hamas.

Hamas hands over U.S.-Israeli hostage

Hamas has handed American Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, 65, over to the Red Cross, the third hostage to be released Saturday as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel.

Siegel walked onto a stage set up by the sea in Gaza City before militants handed him over to waiting Red Cross officials.

Earlier, the militants released Yarden Bibas, 35, and French-Israeli Ofer Kalderon, 54, to the Red Cross in similar scenes in the town of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. All three had been abducted during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war.

Red Cross vehicles arrive in Gaza City for planned hostage release

Red Cross vehicles have arrived in Gaza City where Hamas is set to release American Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, 65, as part of the fourth round of hostage releases in its ceasefire deal with Israel.

Two other hostages — Yarden Bibas, 35, and French-Israeli Ofer Kalderon, 54 — were released earlier Saturday in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. In return for the three, Israel is to release dozens of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.