Hamas-led militants released three male Israeli hostages Saturday, and Israeli forces freed hundreds of prisoners in return, in the latest indication that a fragile ceasefire that had teetered in recent days is holding. The AP reports militants in the southern Gaza Strip paraded the three hostages before a crowd before releasing them. They were transported to Israel to be reunited with their families and to receive medical evaluation in a hospital.
The three hostages—Iair Horn, 46, a dual citizen of Israel and Argentina; American-Israeli Sagui Dekel Chen, 36; and Russian-Israeli Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29—had been abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a community that was hard-hit in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war. They appeared pale and worn, but seemed in better physical condition than the three men released last Saturday, who emerged emaciated from 16 months of captivity.
As with previous exchanges, the hostage release was heavily choreographed, with the captives made to walk onto a stage and speak into microphones before the crowd. Dozens of masked, armed Hamas fighters lined up near the stage festooned with Palestinian flags and banners of militant factions. In Tel Aviv's Hostages Square, a huge cheer went up as the hostages were transferred to the Red Cross. "Iair, Sagui, and Sasha are on their way home!" an announcer said.
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In return for the hostages' release, Israel began releasing 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. A bus carrying the first released prisoners arrived in the occupied West Bank town of Beitunia and was greeted by a cheering crowd of relatives and supporters. Some prisoners appeared gaunt, and the Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said four were immediately taken for medical treatment. Most of those released were transported to Gaza, where a large crowd greeted them in Khan Younis, the same town where the hostages had been released hours earlier. It is the sixth swap since the ceasefire took effect on Jan. 19. Before Saturday, 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners were freed during the first phase of the truce.
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