Hamas-led militants have freed three more hostages from the Gaza Strip after more than 15 months in captivity.

Tel Aviv — American-Israeli dual national Keith Siegel was among three hostages released by militants in the war-torn Gaza Strip on Saturday, more than 15 months after they were taken captive by Hamas. Siegel was freed in Gaza City about two hours after Israelis Yarden Bibas and Ofer Calderon were released in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Hamas handed two hostages over to the Red Cross in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday as part of its ceasefire deal with Israel.

Siegel, 65, originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was taken hostage from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, along with his wife, Aviva Siegel. She was released during a brief 2023 cease-fire and has waged a high-profile campaign to free Keith and other hostages.

Hamas released three more Israeli hostages Saturday, including the first American in this round, in a relatively subdued procession after a chaotic handover earlier in the week sparked an outcry that threatened to snarl the exchanges.

It is believed that at least two of the six American hostages still held in Gaza are alive — Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35, who grew up in Bloomfield, Connecticut, and Edan Alexander, 19, from Tenafly, New Jersey. Four other Americans are believed to have been killed in captivity.

The organization representing families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip is celebrating the news that three male hostages would be released Saturday as part of the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas.