Hamas has released three Israeli hostages in exchange for the freedom of Palestinian prisoners, as part of the ongoing prisoner swap under the ceasefire agreement reached last month between Israel and the group.
The hostages freed on Saturday were identified as American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, Argentinian-Israeli Yair Horn, 46, and Russian-Israeli Alexander Troufanov, 29.
In exchange, Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners from its jails.
To date, 19 hostages held in Gaza and over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners have been released since the Gaza ceasefire began on January 19, 2025.
By the end of the first six-week phase of the deal, it is anticipated that 33 hostages and 1,900 prisoners will have been freed.
Saturday’s exchange, the sixth since the agreement, took place in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza. The Israeli hostages, surrounded by heavily armed Hamas militants, briefly addressed a crowd of Palestinians before being handed over to Red Cross vehicles. Unlike hostages released earlier, the three men appeared less gaunt, a difference that had previously sparked outrage in Israel.
Among the released, Yair Horn and his brother Eitan, 37, were abducted during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on an Israeli kibbutz. While Yair has now been freed, Eitan remains in captivity in Gaza.
The three freed hostages were airlifted to a hospital in central Israel, where they are undergoing medical evaluations and will be reunited with their families.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the circumstances of the handover, calling it a “despicable and cynical ceremony” in a social media post. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Israel Katz reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to working with the United States to ensure the safe return of all remaining hostages.
The majority of the freed Palestinians were taken to Gaza, although some were taken to the West Bank. In both areas, crowds gathered to welcome the former prisoners.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society told the BBC that five of those released in the West Bank city of Ramallah were taken straight to hospital.
“They all have chronic illnesses,” said Mohammad Faqih, an official from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, adding that one man had a broken leg.
Most of the 36 Palestinians serving life sentences are reportedly set to be deported to Egypt.
Earlier this week, Hamas accused Israel of breaching the terms of their agreement and threatened to delay the release of hostages. Israel denied the accusations.
Backed by US President Donald Trump, Israel warned that “intense” fighting would resume unless the hostages were released.
Under the ceasefire terms, Hamas is expected to release another 14 hostages. However, Israel claims that eight of them are deceased, leaving six living Israelis to be returned in the first phase.
So far, 141 hostages have been freed under the deal, including 81 Israelis and 24 foreign nationals released in an earlier agreement between Israel and Hamas.
The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people, with 251 taken hostage to Gaza.
This sparked a large-scale Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which has reportedly resulted in over 48,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.