Following a week in which the fragile ceasefire agreement appeared to be jeopardized, Hamas released another three Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, Argentine-Israeli Yair Horn, 46, and Russian-Israeli Alexander Troufanov, 29, were released in exchange for 369 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
So far, 19 hostages and more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners have been released as part of the first phase of the cease fire, which began on January 19.
The swap comes just days after Hamas said that it would halt the release of hostages, accusing Israel of breaking the terms of the agreement, which Israel denies.
Israel, supported by US President Donald Trump, declared that “intense” fighting will begin unless the captives were handed over. Hamas later stated that it remained committed to the truce and that Israel was “responsible for any complications or delays”.
However, the sixth swap took place on Saturday, with hostages being given up to Red Cross workers in a highly staged public show in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Surrounded by heavily armed Hamas militants, the men spoke briefly to a gathering of Palestinians before being taken to Red Cross vans.
They did not looked as thin as the detainees released a week before; their appearance sparked outrage in Israel and all over the world.
Military helicopters flew the three men to a hospital in central Israel, where they received medical examinations and were reunited with family.
Yair Horn and his brother Eitan, 37, were seized from a kibbutz during Hamas’ operations on October 7, 2023. Eitan remains in detention in Gaza.
Sagui Dekel-Chen, a US citizen, also reconnected with his wife, who revealed that he had a one-year-old daughter. His wife was eight months pregnant with their third child when he was arrested by Hamas in October 2023.
On Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced the release of the hostages, emphasizing that Hamas had not carried out their threat.
In a social media post, Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that Israel would continue to engage with the US to “ensure that all hostages return to Israel soon.”
According to the latest announcements, Hamas is expected to release another 14 hostages as part of the ceasefire. However, Israel claims that eight of them have died, leaving six Israelis alive to be repatriated in the first phase.
A total of 141 captives have been released, including 81 Israelis and 24 foreign individuals as part of a previous agreement between Israel and Hamas.
When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, around 1,200 people were killed, and 251 were taken back to Gaza as hostages.
This provoked a huge Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which killed around 48,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
– Deeprows News
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