Three hostages – Keith Siegel, Ofer Kalderon, and Yarden Bibas – are scheduled to be released Saturday. Kalderon's children were at his home in Nir Oz on October 7 when terrorists broke in. They escaped through a window and hid in bushes for hours before being captured. They were released in the first exchange deal and have been fighting for their father's return ever since.
Yifat Kalderon, Ofer's cousin, responded to the news while driving: "I started receiving numerous messages – it's incredibly emotional. I won't be able to breathe normally until I see Ofer embracing his four children. Until then, I remain extremely anxious. This has been an absurd battle – fighting for something that should have been obvious and should have happened much sooner. I want to emphasize that I will continue fighting for everyone still left behind."
The October 7 Abduction
On that dark Saturday, Ofer Kalderon (54) and his children, Sahar and Erez, were at their father's house in Nir Oz. When terrorists attacked the community, they fled through the safe room window and hid in bushes for hours. When spotted by the terrorists, they ran in different directions, ultimately all being taken to Gaza.
In November 2023, Ofer celebrated his birthday, receiving the gift of his two children's return to Israel – but he remained behind in a dark, oxygen-deprived tunnel in Gaza under inhumane conditions, exposed to hunger, abuse, and fear in Hamas tunnels.
"Fight for me, I don't want to die in the tunnels"
Released hostages have testified that he helped them significantly, particularly in maintaining optimism. He believed he would be released after his children – but this did not happen. His last words to his daughter Sahar when they parted in Gaza were, "Fight for me, I don't want to die in the tunnels," a phrase that has stayed with her since. In a video posted online, Sahar called for her father's release, saying, "I cannot heal until my father returns."
Ofer's brother, Nisan Kalderon, has been a prominent voice in protests calling for a hostage deal. He once said: "There are two scenarios I fear – one is receiving Ofer in a bag, and the other, which terrifies us all, is never receiving him at all. Ofer was taken alive and must return alive."
He was also among family members who appealed to the president not to pardon a sergeant accused in a classified documents case, arguing that alleged improper use of secret information had skewed public discourse regarding the hostages.
A Warm, family-oriented person
The family describes Ofer as a warm, home-loving person who brings light wherever he goes. He is a father of four who celebrated birthdays with picnics in nature. Ofer is an outdoors person who loves cycling and flying model airplanes.
Hadas Kalderon and Ofer's children issued the following statement: "We received with great excitement the news of our beloved Ofer's return, alongside Yarden Bibas and Keith Siegel. After 483 days of abandonment in Gaza, we can't wait to reunite with our precious family members.
"We thank President Trump for contributing to this arrangement and call on Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israeli representatives not to wait a minute to advance the next phase of the agreement and ensure all hostages return to us, living and deceased, until the very last one. The return of all hostages is essential for them and us to recover and begin healing wounds to ensure the resilience of our society and state.
"Until Ofer returns to our warm embrace – we request to avoid media interviews. We thank the people of Israel for their embrace and support and promise to share our feelings upon his return."
