US-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel has been handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza City in a tense yet meticulously orchestrated transfer.
Siegel, wearing a black cap, made a brief yet poignant appearance on a stage at the Gaza City port, where he momentarily waved to the gathered crowd.
The stage itself was a striking backdrop, adorned with images of slain Hamas military leaders and a bold slogan in Hebrew declaring, “Zionism will not win.”
The scene was heavily fortified dozens of armed and masked Hamas gunmen stood guard around the stage, reinforcing the gravity of the moment.
Unlike the chaotic spectacle that unfolded during the release of hostages Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes the day before, Siegel’s transfer was described as brief and orderly.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed receiving official notification from the Red Cross regarding Siegel’s release. He is now being escorted by the Red Cross to IDF and Shin Bet forces inside Gaza, from where he will be safely transported out of the Strip.
Siegel, a dual US-Israeli citizen from North Carolina, was seized alongside his wife, Aviva, during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, incursion into southern Israel.
Aviva found freedom in November 2023 as part of an earlier ceasefire agreement, while Siegel’s long wait has now finally come to an end.