After 484 days in Hamas captivity, hostages Yarden Bibas (35), Ofer Kalderon (54), and Keith Siegel (65) were released yesterday (Saturday) to Israeli territory in the fourth round of the first phase of the hostage deal. As they returned, testimonies from them and previously released hostages began to surface, revealing details about their grueling period of captivity in Hamas tunnels.
Yarden Bibas
Released hostage Tami Metzger shared with Israel's Kan 11 channel her account of time spent in Hamas tunnels with Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas: "They would lock up Ofer and Yarden in cells. These were tiny cells that could barely fit two small people. Every afternoon, they would bring them up to join us for coffee and a hot meal.
"Later in the evening, they were returned to their cells," she continued. "These became our first meetings with Ofer and Yarden. Eventually, Ofer went to stay with his daughter, while Yarden remained with our group for all the remaining days of my captivity. As for whether he knew exactly what had happened – I don't think so. The lack of information was especially difficult for Yarden."
Ofer Kalderon
Beyond his stay in the tunnels with Yarden, Ofer Kalderon's family revealed that in their initial conversations following his release, he described seeing his uncle Shimi speaking at a rally on Al Jazeera two weeks ago – a moment that provided him with crucial emotional strength.
Keith Siegel
Keith Siegel, 65, who was abducted from kibbutz Kfar Aza, revealed at Ichilov Hospital that during his captivity, he had believed his son Shai was killed on Oct. 7. His moment of hope came unexpectedly when he heard his son's voice during a radio interview, confirming he was alive.
He recounted being held alongside other hostages in Gaza City. According to his testimony, the terrorists frequently moved him between hideout apartments and tunnels to evade IDF detection. In one instance, they locked him in a room within an apartment, ensuring IDF soldiers wouldn't find him even if they entered the building.
Keith described having his final meal in captivity on Friday afternoon. He also said that despite being vegetarian, he was forced to eat meat due to the severe food shortage, which also caused him to lose several pounds of his weight.
