American-Israeli Keith Siegel was released by Hamas Saturday morning in the latest hostage-for-prisoner swaps — making him the first US citizen freed by the terror group under the ongoing cease-fire deal.
Siegel was released just before 10:30 a.m. local time when the Red Cross organized his release with Hamas after he spent the last 484 days in captivity.
Siegel, 65, an occupational therapist from Chapel Hill, N.C., was kidnapped along with his wife, Aviva, when Hamas raided their home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7, 2023.
Aviva was released in November 2023 during a previous hostage-for-prisoner swap, and subsequently lobbied then-President Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring her husband of 43 years home.
“It’s just cruel to think that he’s [been] in such terrible conditions for so long,” she told The Post last October, recalling being held captive in Hamas’ claustrophobic tunnels with little oxygen, food or water.
“What they’re going through is the cruelest thing on Earth.”
Siegel — holding the bizarre “gift bag” — was escorted by two Hamas terrorists and presented on stage before being handed over to the Red Cross.
Siegel was last seen alive alongside fellow Israeli hostage Omri Miran in a Hamas propaganda clip released in April. In the clip, the father of four and grandfather of five — who moved to Israel four decades ago — appeared gaunt, and cried while begging for a cease-fire deal.
During his time in captivity, Siegel’s mother, Gladys, died.
After it was announced he would be released Saturday, Siegel’s daughter posted a video on Instagram that captured Aviva yelping with joy, “Dad is coming! Dad is on the list!”
Yarden Bibas, the father of the youngest Israeli child kidnapped by Hamas, and French-Israeli Ofer Kalderon were released earlier Saturday in Khan Younis.
With Siegel’s release, only two other American hostages still being held by Hamas are thought to be alive: Father of three Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, and Edan Alexander, 20, an IDF soldier who most likely will be released in the second phase of the cease-fire deal.
Four other American hostages — Itay Chen, Omer Neutra and Gadi and Judi Haggai — have been confirmed dead by Israeli officials.
With Post wires.
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