After parading them before a crowd in the southern Gaza Strip, Hamas militants released three Israeli hostages on Saturday. The hostages were handed over to the Red Cross as part of the fragile Gaza ceasefire deal that seeks both Israel and Hamas to exchange hostages. In a post on X, Israel Defence Forces acknowledged that they had received the hostages. The IDF’s post on X reads, “The 3 returning hostages are currently being accompanied by IDF and ISA forces on their return to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment.”
Who are these three hostages?
The Red Cross delivered the three — Iair Horn, 46, a dual citizen of Israel and Argentina; American-Israeli Sagui Dekel Chen, 36; and Russian-Israeli Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29 — to the Israeli military, which said they were being taken for medical treatment and to be reunited with their relatives, AP reports.
The hostages, who were abducted in the October 7, 2023, attack that ignited the Israel-Hamas war, appeared pale and worn. However, they appeared to be in better physical condition than the three men released last Saturday, who had emerged emaciated from 16 months of captivity.
Gaza ceasefire: A fragile deal
Earlier, Hamas warned Israel that it would delay the release of the hostages after accusing it of not adhering to their agreement, which seeks Tel Aviv to allow enough shelters, medical supplies, fuel and heavy equipment for clearing rubble. Israel said it would resume fighting on Saturday unless hostages were freed.
While the immediate crisis may have been averted, the truce faces a much bigger challenge with the deal’s first phase set to conclude in early March. There have not yet been substantive negotiations over the second phase, in which Hamas would release all remaining hostages in return for an end to the war.
(With inputs from AP)
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