Hamas militants escort Israeli-American hotsage Sagui Dekel-Chen on a stage earlier than handing him over to a Purple Cross staff in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on February 15, 2025, as a part of the sixth hostage-prisoner change.
Bashar Taleb/AFP through Getty Pictures
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Bashar Taleb/AFP through Getty Pictures
TEL AVIV — In a ceremony surrounded by masked Palestinian militants and rubble from the Gaza struggle, Hamas launched three Israeli hostages holding U.S., Russian and Argentinian citizenships on Saturday.
It was the sixth group of hostages freed as a part of a fragile ceasefire deal that just about collapsed this week between the Palestinian militant group and Israel. In change for the launched hostages, Palestinian authorities count on Israel to launch 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
The three male civilian hostages launched are Sagui Dekel-Chen, a 36-year-old twin U.S.-Israeli citizen, Alexander Trupanov, a 29-year-old twin Russian-Israeli citizen, and Yair Horn, a 46-year-old twin Argentinian-Israeli.
The hostages have been introduced onto a stage, the place a slogan on a big poster alluded to President Trump’s plan to switch Gaza’s total inhabitants to neighboring international locations. “No migration except to Jerusalem,” it stated. The three hostages have been handed over to the Worldwide Committee of the Purple Cross in Khan Younis, a metropolis in south Gaza.
“None of us can begin to heal until the hostages are home and, again, as a consequence of that, allowing the people of Gaza to resume something that resembles normal life,” Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of Sagui, advised NPR final month.
Among the many 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees anticipated to be freed by Israel on Saturday are 36 who served life sentences in Israeli prisons, convicted for lethal assaults towards Israelis. 333 of them are Gazans who have been arrested by Israeli forces through the latest struggle and can be despatched again to Gaza — the most important group of Palestinians to be returned to Gaza by Israel following greater than 15 months of struggle.
A lady sits on a char in entrance of a display screen in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Sq., holding an Israeli flag and photos of hostages as households wait on February 15, 2025 for the discharge by Hamas of three double-nationals held within the Gaza Strip because the October 7, 2023.
Jack Guez/AFP through Getty Pictures
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Jack Guez/AFP through Getty Pictures
There have been questions earlier this week about whether or not or not Saturday’s launch would go forward, after a dispute between Hamas and Israel threatened to derail the ceasefire deal. Hamas had stated it might delay the discharge, alleging ceasefire violations by Israel, which Israel denied. Arab mediators helped resolve the dispute.
Hamas says within the coming days it expects Israel to permit the entry into Gaza of cell properties for Palestinians whose properties have been destroyed within the struggle, heavy equipment for clearing rubble, and extra help as a part of the settlement made on this deal.
There may be concern concerning the circumstances of hostages
There stays concern concerning the destiny of the 73 hostages remaining in Gaza. Israel says as many as half of them are believed to be useless.
Extra info has emerged concerning the circumstances the hostages endured. Final week, three male Israeli hostages who have been launched have been frail and gaunt — showing to be in worse situation than earlier hostages Hamas launched.
Keith Siegel, a twin American-Israeli launched this month, stated in his first public feedback on Friday that he had been abused by his Gaza captors and held with out water or daylight when the Gaza struggle intensified.
“I was held for 484 days in unimaginable conditions, and every single day felt like it could be my last,” he stated in a video assertion. He credited President Trump along with his launch.
“President Trump, you are the reason I am home alive,” Siegel stated. “Your leadership and strength will ensure the agreement is honored by all sides.”
Hamas had initially threatened to delay the hostages’ launch
The Palestinian militant group had initially introduced it might delay the hostage launch earlier this week. It stated Israel had violated the ceasefire by not guaranteeing sufficient non permanent properties for displaced Palestinians and opening hearth in elements of Gaza. Israel stated Hamas was violating the deal by threatening to delay the hostage launch, and prompt the perimeters may return to struggle.
Including additional strain, President Trump stated the entire Israeli hostages in Gaza must be launched by midday on Saturday or else the ceasefire ought to finish and “all hell is going to break out.” Trump has additionally angered Hamas with a plan for the U.S. to take over Gaza and relocate the enclave’s residents to neighboring international locations.
Mediators from Egypt and Qatar labored in latest days to resolve the Israel-Hamas dispute and stop the resumption of a lethal struggle for Palestinians and Israelis which devastated Gaza for greater than 15 months. Hamas stated in an announcement the talks have been “positive” and that it stays dedicated to the ceasefire settlement.
A Hamas militant retains watch from a constructing over an space earlier than handing over two Israeli hostages to a Purple Cross staff in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on February 15, 2025, as a part of the hostage-prisoner change.
Bashar Taleb/AFP through Getty Pictures
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Bashar Taleb/AFP through Getty Pictures
The way forward for the ceasefire deal is unsure
An official accustomed to the main points and never licensed to talk publicly advised NPR that Israel is urgent for the discharge of further hostages within the coming days.
The official stated that talks to hammer out particulars for the following part of the ceasefire haven’t but begun. These talks ought to have began greater than every week in the past based on the ceasefire settlement.
Because the starting of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire final month, there have been 5 rounds of exchanges, releasing a complete of 16 Israeli hostages and greater than 670 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. 5 Thai hostages who had been working in Israel as agricultural laborers on the time of their seize have been additionally launched, though they weren’t a part of the deal.
Hamas has agreed to launch a complete of 33 Israeli hostages in change for round 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees by the tip of the preliminary part of the ceasefire on March 2.
1000’s of Palestinians poured north in Gaza after the ceasefire started, many on foot, returning to homes and house buildings destroyed in combating that has seen greater than 47,000 Palestinians killed, based on Gaza well being authorities.
The battle started on Oct. 7, 2023, when militants from Hamas and different teams broke via the border with Israel and killed some 1,200 individuals and took greater than 250 hostage, based on Israeli authorities.
Yanal Jabarin in Jerusalem, Itay Stern in Tel Aviv, Abu Bakr Bashir in London and Ahmed Abuhamda in Cairo contributed to this report.
