American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, was among three hostages released by Hamas on Saturday after being held in Gaza for almost 18 months. The other two hostages were Israelis Sasha Troufanov, 29, and Iair Horn, 46. The hostages were handed over to Red Cross officials in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, where they appeared to walk without serious injuries. Though they made statements, Israeli TV did not air their remarks. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the transfer, noting that the hostages were returned to Israel shortly after crossing the Gaza border.
The IDF added that the hostages were heading to a reception point in southern Israel, where they would reunite with family members. The men seemed in better physical condition than three hostages released the previous Saturday, who were severely emaciated after 16 months of captivity. All three were abducted during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz near the Gaza border. Dekel-Chen, who was working in a machine shop when the attack began, confronted the attackers and was captured. His father, Jonathan, shared in September 2024 that Dekel-Chen was a father to three daughters and had not met his youngest, born after his capture. His wife, Avital, survived the attack while seven months pregnant.
Troufanov, an engineer who emigrated to Israel from the Soviet Union, was also taken during the October 7 attack. His father was killed, but his mother, grandmother, and girlfriend were released earlier in a previous exchange. Horn, who was born in Argentina, was kidnapped with his brother, Eitan. While Iair was released, Eitan remains in captivity, and his family has called for his return.
Hamas confirmed it would continue the release of hostages under the terms of the ceasefire agreement with Israel, though there were tensions regarding violations of the deal. Hamas had previously delayed the exchange, accusing Israel of not providing enough aid to displaced Palestinians in Gaza. In response, Israel warned that failure to release the hostages could lead to the resumption of military operations.
The deal, which began on January 19, has seen Israel release 369 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages. Negotiations for the second phase of the deal have already started, which could lead to further releases and a possible withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The conflict, sparked by the October 7 Hamas attack, has resulted in significant casualties, with over 48,000 deaths in Gaza according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, and independent organizations estimating the toll to be closer to 64,000.