Report: American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel expected to be freed in next release from Gaza

Keith Siegel, taken captive by Hamas terrorists from his home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023 (Courtesy)
Keith Siegel, taken captive by Hamas terrorists from his home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023 (Courtesy)

An American-Israeli man who was kidnapped from his home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023, is expected to be released from captivity in Gaza next week, in the third hostage release under a ceasefire deal with Hamas, according to a US report.

NBC cites two senior US officials as confirming previous reports that Keith Siegel, 65, who is believed to be in poor health, will be among three hostages scheduled to be released next Saturday.

The report echoes what Biden and Trump officials said publicly earlier this month.

Channel 12 news reported yesterday that Emily Damari, who was released by Hamas on Sunday as the ceasefire came into effect, had asked her captors to first free Siegel, who is the father of her close friend Shir Siegel.

Israel is expecting a female civilian, Arbel Yehud, 29, and a female IDF soldier, Agam Berger, 20, also held in Gaza since October 7, to be included in the next batch of hostages released.

NBC reports that Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, another Israeli-American citizen who was kidnapped by Hamas, will be released shortly after Siegel.

Sagui Dekel-Chen, a resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was taken captive on October 7, 2023 by Hamas terrorists (Courtesy screenshot)

Both Siegel and Dekel-Chen are on the list of 33 Israeli hostages expected to be set free in the initial 42-day phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal, all of whom are so-called “humanitarian” cases: women, children, elderly individuals and the infirm.

The third American-Israeli hostage, Edan Alexander, isn’t slated to be released until the second phase, as he is a soldier.

It is believed that 87 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.

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