Good afternoon, here's today's closing summary …
Three Israeli hostages – Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Troufanov and Iair Horn – have been released by Hamas. In return, Israel has released 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in its custody, the sixth exchange in a fragile month-old ceasefire that almost collapsed earlier this week.
In a statement, Hamas said that today’s hostage release shows there is no way to free the hostages held in Gaza “except through negotiations and by adhering to the requirements of the ceasefire agreement”. The group added: “We say to the whole world: there is no migration except to Jerusalem,” a response to US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Palestinians resettle in neighbouring countries.
The IDF’s chief of staff, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, says the military is making great efforts to return all of the remaining hostages abducted by Hamas on 7 October 2023. “Alongside the great excitement with the return of each hostage, we remember in the IDF our duty to return everyone,” Halevi said. “We are making great efforts to do so while at the same time preparing with offensive plans.”
Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, has condemned an attack on a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon convoy in Beirut, saying security forces will not tolerate anyone who tries to destabilise the country, according to a statement from the president’s office. The outgoing deputy force commander of Unifil was injured on Friday when a convoy taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport was “violently attacked”, Unifil said.
Iran accused Israel on Friday of disrupting flights from Tehran to Beirut, after a decision barring two Iranian planes from landing in the Lebanese capital sparked protests. Israel has repeatedly accused Hezbollah of using Lebanon’s only airport to transfer weapons from Iran. Hezbollah and Lebanese officials have denied Israel’s claims.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is expected to visit Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates soon to discuss the fragile Gaza ceasefire.
Saudi Arabia will host the leaders of four Arab countries at a summit on 20 February to discuss Trump’s proposal for a US takeover of Gaza, Agence France-Presse reported, citing a source with knowledge of the preparations. Speaking on condition of anonymity, another source said the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, would also attend.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society media office says Israeli authorities “deliberately insulted and assaulted” Palestinian prisoners and detainees until the “moment of their release”.The organisation, which monitors the releases, added that the conditions of the prisoners upon their release demonstrate the “extent of the crimes and violations inside the prisons”. In a statement, the organisation urged the international community to reject a “double standard” as Israel earlier decried conditions of captives released from Gaza.
Thirty-three hostages are supposed to be released as per the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. Hamas has handed over 19 hostages so far, and 14 are due to be handed over in the coming weeks. Israel says eight of the 14 hostages are deceased, meaning six living hostages are still to be handed over. Seventy hostages taken on 7 October remain in captivity; around half of them are thought to be dead. Israel has released 766 Palestinians from Israeli prisons so far.
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Israeli hostages reunited with families after week of ceasefire tensions – video
The Israeli hostages Sagui Dekel-Chen and Iair Horn embraced their families after their release in the latest stage of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas intended to end the war in Gaza. Hamas freed three Israeli hostages on Saturday – the Israeli-American Dekel-Chen, the Israeli-Argentinian Horn and the Israeli-Russian Sasha Troufanov. Israel has released 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, the sixth exchange in a fragile month-old ceasefire that almost collapsed earlier this week.
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A British couple who have been detained in Iran have been named by their family as Craig and Lindsay Foreman.
The family spoke of their concern at the “distressing situation” facing the Foremans, who are being held in Kerman, Iran.
“This unexpected turn of events has caused significant concern for our entire family, and we are deeply focused on ensuring their safety and wellbeing during this trying time,” they said in a statement.
“We are actively engaging with the British government and relevant authorities, working diligently to navigate the complexities of this matter. The family are united in our determination to secure their safe return.”
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Following the release of three Israeli hostages in exchange for over 300 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, humanitarian organisation the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reiterates its call for all hostages to be released in “a dignified and safe manner, for more aid to enter Gaza, and for the ICRC to have access to all hostages and detainees”.
The organisation adds in a statement: “More must be done by all sides, including the mediators, to improve future transfers.
“The ceasefire agreement has so far allowed for six release operations to take place in which the ICRC has safely facilitated the return of 24 hostages and 985 detainees. It is crucial that the parties abide by the terms of the ceasefire agreement to ensure that more families can be reunited and life-saving humanitarian work can continue.
“The ICRC remains committed to acting as a neutral humanitarian intermediary to support the implementation of this agreement.”
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IDF chief says they are making 'offensive plans'
The IDF’s chief of staff Lt Gen Herzi Halevi says the military is making great efforts to return all of the remaining hostages abducted by Hamas on 7 October 2023.
“Alongside the great excitement with the return of each hostage, we remember in the IDF our duty to return everyone,” Halevi said.
“We are making great efforts to do so while at the same time preparing with offensive plans,” he added.
The comments could be interpreted as ominous given the veiled warning US President Donald Trump issued on social media on Saturday.
The president said: “Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 o’clock today, deadline imposed on the release of all hostages. The United States will back the decision they make!”
The deadline Trump is referring to is one he mentioned earlier this week when he insisted that Hamas needed to release “all” hostages by midday today. Midday has come and gone in Gaza, but if the president was referring to Washington’s timezone, it could mean the deadline is less than three hours away.
Trump previously said he thought “all hell” could break out if the deadline was not met.
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Palestinians have burned the jumpers the Israeli Prison Service dressed prisoners in before their release earlier on Saturday. The white jumpers featured a Star of David and the words “We will not forget nor forgive” printed in Arabic on the back.
שורפים את החולצות שהשב"ס נתן לאסירים הפלסטינים שהשתחררו pic.twitter.com/9fL8JKWhdq
— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) February 15, 2025
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The Palestinian Prisoners’ media office says Israeli authorities “deliberately insulted and assaulted” Palestinian prisoners and detainees until the “moment of their release”.
The organisation, which monitors the releases, added that the conditions of the prisoners upon their release demonstrate the “extent of the crimes and violations inside the prisons”.
In a statement, the organisation urged the international community to reject a “double standard” as Israel earlier decried conditions of captives released from Gaza.
“The effects of torture and oppression were clear on the prisoners’ bodies, which calls for a firm stance to hold the occupation accountable for its crimes,” it said in a statement.
“Just as the occupation demands the return of its prisoners, our prisoners have the right to freedom and dignity, and denying that is collusion with the executioner,” it said.
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Of the Palestinian prisoners released on Saturday, 333 were Gazans captured or arrested since the beginning of the war in October 2023. They were taken straight to Gaza.
Thirty-six Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jail were also released. Some two dozen were immediately deported through Egypt to other Arab countries. One was taken to Jerusalem, and 10 arrived by bus at Ramallah, the main city in the West Bank and the administrative centre of the Palestinian Authority.
The prisoners, who were immediately transferred to private cars and taken home, had all spent more than 20 years in Israeli prisons, according to Abdullah al-Zaghari, the chair of the Palestinian Prisoners Society.
Most of those released on Saturday had been part of the military wing of Fatah, the dominant faction of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, and had taken part in violent uprisings against Israeli occupation.
“To feel free is indescribable,” said Ameer Abu Ra’adaha, who has spent 32 of his 51 years in jail. He claimed the prisoners knew there would be an exchange a few days before as the guards conducted raids on the cells and beat some of the inmates.
Abu Ra’adaha said he only found out he would be among the prisoners released at 6.30am on Saturday.
He was told by prison guards who presented the departing prisoners with a T-shirt expressing their reluctance to let them go.
The T-shirts, on the orders of the head of the prison service, were printed with the words: “We will never forget, and we will never forgive.”
The freed prisoner was hailed as a hero at a community centre in al-Am’ari camp in Ramallah, dressed in an olive green cap with a Palestinian keffiyah around his shoulders. Men queued to embrace him while the hall filled with teenagers and young boys who had come to catch a glimpse of the emaciated veteran, who looked stunned and exhausted. “I just want to get married, build a house and live my life,” Abu Ra’adaha said.
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President Donald Trump says US will back Israel if it decides to restart Gaza war
In a post on the president’s social media site Truth Social, Trump wrote that the hostages released today “seem to be in good shape!”
He added: “Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 o’clock, today, deadline imposed on the release of all hostages. The United States will back the decision they make!”
The deadline Trump is referring to is one he mentioned earlier this week when he insisted that Hamas needed to release “all” hostages by midday today. It is unclear what time zone he is referring to, but Trump previously said he thought “all hell” could break out if his deadline was not met.
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Here are some images of Palestinian prisoners and detainees arriving in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Saturday after being released as part of the hostage-prisoner swap and ceasefire deal.
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The day so far
If you’re just joining us, here are the day’s main developments:
Three Israeli hostages – Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Troufanov and Iair Horn – have been released by Hamas.
In return, Israel has released 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in its custody, the sixth exchange in a fragile month-old ceasefire that almost collapsed earlier this week.
In a statement, Hamas said that today’s hostage release shows there is no way to free the hostages held in Gaza “except through negotiations and by adhering to the requirements of the ceasefire agreement”. The group added: “We say to the whole world: there is no migration except to Jerusalem,” in response to US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Palestinians resettle in neighbouring countries.
Meanwhile, in Lebanon, the outgoing deputy force commander of the United Nations Interim Force was injured after a convoy taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport was “violently attacked”.
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25 detained after UN attacked in Lebanon
Earlier, we reported that the outgoing deputy force commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon was injured after a convoy taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport was “violently attacked”.
Lebanon’s interior minister, Ahmad al-Hajjar, called for an emergency meeting before midday on Saturday to discuss the security situation, Lebanese state news agency NNA reported.
Citing the minister, NNA reported:
He affirmed the Lebanese government’s rejection of this assault that is considered a crime against Unifil forces.
He also gave instructions to work on identifying the perpetrators and referring them to the relevant judicial authorities.
The minister told reporters that more than 25 people had been detained for investigation over the attack.
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You can read full the report on today’s exchange from my colleague, Jerusalem correspondent Bethan McKernan, here:
Six living hostages still to be handed over in first phase of ceasefire
Thirty-three hostages are supposed to be released as per the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which began on 19 January 2025 and is planned to last six weeks.
Hamas has handed over 19 hostages so far, and 14 are due to be handed over in the coming weeks. Israel says eight of the 14 hostages are deceased, meaning six living hostages are still to be handed over.
Five hostages from Thailand were freed under a separate agreement. Seventy hostages taken on 7 October remain in captivity; around half of them are thought to be dead.
Israel has released 766 Palestinians from Israeli prisons so far, just under half of the prisoners and detainees due to be freed during the ceasefire process, according to the Red Cross.
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The Hostages and Missing Families Forum announces it will hold a fast to mark 500 days of captivity for the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
The fast will be held on Monday from 11:40 am until 8:00 pm .
“This fast is nothing compared to the suffering they are experiencing there, but it is a day of identification and solidarity that strengthens the hostages and amplifies the cry of those whose voices cannot be heard,” the Forum says. “There is no more time — we must act immediately to bring everyone back.
“We cannot let this agreement collapse; we must continue to use this momentum to reach a swift and responsible agreement for everyone!”
Released hostages Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Troufanov, and Iair Horn, and members of their families, are being airlifted by Israeli Air Force helicopters to hospitals in central Israel.
The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, has said in a post on social media that the three hostages released today were “forced to endure” a “despicable and cynical ceremony”.
“Completing a hostage deal is a human, moral, and Jewish imperative. We will continue to do everything in our power to bring back all our sisters and brothers from captivity in Gaza”, he said.
The defence minister, Israel Katz, posted on social media that Israel will continue to work with the US to “ensure that all hostages return to Israel soon” and that “the Palestinian terror threat is destroyed and removed from Gaza”.
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Sultan Barakat, a professor in conflict and humanitarian studies at the Qatar Foundation’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University, has told Al Jazeera that negotiations about phase two of the Gaza ceasefire agreement will likely start tomorrow.
“The negotiations about phase two of the ceasefire agreement were supposed to start around the 16th day of phase one and conclude by day 30,” he said.
“Now it is unlikely to happen because of Netanyahu’s visit to Washington and the very delusional proposal made by Trump and the delays that were associated with that.”
The Palestinian Red Crescent says it has transferred four of the released prisoners who arrived earlier in Ramallah to a hospital in the occupied West Bank due to serious health conditions.
Palestinians in Israeli captivity have suffered in appalling conditions, which human rights organisations say amount to torture.
A report by B’tselem’s, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights, entitled “Welcome to Hell” in August 2024 contained testimony from 55 released Palestinian detainees.
“All of them again and again, told us the same thing,” said Yuli Novak, B’tselem’s executive director.
“Ongoing abuse, daily violence, physical violence and mental violence, humiliation, sleep deprivation, people are starved. The Israeli prison system as a whole, in regard to Palestinians, turned into a network of torture camps.”
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American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen smiled as Israeli officials told him he had a one-year-old daughter, according to Israel’s Channel 12.
Asked about his medical condition, Dekel-Chen reportedly replied: “I’m great, I’m great, I have a daughter.”
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Today’s hostage-prisoners swap marks another key step in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement put in place three weeks ago.
But the second phase of the agreement remains in flux, prolonging the suffering of millions of Palestinians who lost their homes in Gaza during the 15-month conflict.
Today’s deal was nearly called off by Hamas following suggestions made by Donald Trump that Palestinians should be resettled in Egypt and Jordan.
Hostage-detainee swaps are due to continue on a weekly basis until 2 March. In the second stage, all remaining living hostages should be released and Israel should completely withdraw from Gaza, in effect ending the war.
Talks on the second stage were supposed to begin last week but Netanyahu has only authorised the Israeli team to discuss technical issues related to the first stage.
Scenes in Ramallah as prisoners and detainees are released from Israeli prison in West Bank.
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Cheers erupted when a minibus carrying released prisoners and detainees arrived in Ramallah, the BBC reports.
Crowds surrounded the bus knocking on the windows and waving.
Men were then carried through the streets, as people chanted: “Allahu Akhbar” (God is greatest).
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Palestinian prisoners and detainees released
Here are some images of the hostages and detainees being released.
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The first bus carrying freed Palestinian prisoners and detainees has departed from Israel’s Ofer Prison in the West Bank.
Crowds are now gathering in Ramallah ahead of the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
It appears Israel is attempting to match the histrionics displayed by Hamas earlier today by dressing hundreds of prisoners and detainees in shirts featuring a Star of David and “We will not forget or forgive” printed in Arabic.
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UN vehicle torched, commander wounded as Hezbollah supporters protest
A UN peacekeeping force vehicle was torched in Lebanon on Friday as supporters of militant group Hezbollah blocked the road to Beirut airport in protest. Unifil reports one commander was wounded in the incident, AFP reports.
Hezbollah supporters blocked the road to the airport on Thursday and Friday nights due to two Iranian planes being prevented from landing in Beirut.
The Lebanese army says it will take “firm action” against those responsible for the disorder.
“Several areas, particularly the area around the airport … have been the scene of demonstrations marked by acts of vandalism and clashes, including assaults on members of the armed forces and attacks against vehicles” of the United Nations, the Lebanese army posted on X.
Troops will take “firm action to prevent any breach of public order and arrest troublemakers”, it added.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon demanded a “full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities”.
“Attacks on peacekeepers are flagrant violations of international law and may amount to war crimes,” the peacekeeping force said.
“We demand a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities and for all perpetrators to be brought to justice.”
The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, described the incident as “unacceptable”.
“Such an act of violence threatens the safety of United Nations staff who work tirelessly to maintain stability in Lebanon, sometimes at great personal risk,” she said in a statement.
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The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel welcomes the released hostages with a “big embrace.”
It adds: “We have prepared for their return, and together with their families, we will assist in their rehabilitation after the long and agonizing days in captivity.”
Referring to Hamas’ statement made earlier this week that they wouldn’t release hostages today due to their claim that Israel had violated the terms of the ceasefire deal, the PM’s office adds: “This week too, Hamas attempted to violate the agreement and create a false crisis with baseless claims. Thanks to the deployment of our forces inside and around Gaza, and thanks to President Trump’s clear and unequivocal statement, Hamas backed down, and the release of the hostages continued.
“We are working in full coordination with the United States to rescue all our hostages — both the living and the fallen — as quickly as possible, and we are fully prepared for what comes next, in every respect.”
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Israel claims that that Argentinian-Israeli hostage Iair Horn was held in “unimaginable conditions”.
A post on the official Israel X account claims that Horn and his brother Eitan had been “violently kidnapped” on October 7 and were kept in “unimaginable conditions for nearly 500 days”.
Hamas still hold Eitan hostage and he will not be released in phase one of the ceasefire.
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The families of the hostages have issued statements following their release on Saturday
Sasha Troufanov’s family says: “We are overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude for Sasha’s return home after 498 long and tormenting days in captivity. On October 7, Sasha was brutally kidnapped from his home and shot in both legs. Seeing him today strengthens us and gives us great hope for the long rehabilitation process ahead of him.”
They thank IDF soldiers, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum “and especially all citizens of Israel for their embrace, support and unwavering faith”.
They add they do not know whether Troufanov is aware that his father was murdered on 7 October.
“This knowledge – or lack thereof – will completely transform his homecoming from a day of great joy to one of deep mourning for his beloved father,” they say.
The family of Iair Horn says: “Now we can breathe a little. Our Iair is home after surviving hell in Gaza. Now, we need to bring [hostage brother] Eitan back so our family can truly breathe.
“We thank the IDF soldiers and security forces who risk their lives and bodies, and send condolences to the bereaved families who lost their most precious ones for all of us. You are forever in our hearts.
“We won’t stop and will continue working to bring Eitan and all other hostages home.”
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Buses have gathered in front of Ofer prison, in the West Bank, ahead of the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Ofer prison is a military detention facility. There is a military court that sentences dozens of Palestinians every day, some without charge or trial.
In total, 369 Palestinians are expected to be released today.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Association this includes 29 from the West Bank and seven from Jerusalem and surrounding areas.
Around 333 people detained in Gaza since 7 October 2023 will also be freed, according to the group.
Three hundred and thirty three Palestinians detained in Gaza since 7 October will also be freed.
Twenty-four will be deported to other countries.
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Released hostages Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Troufanov and Iair Horn have crossed the border into Israel after 498 days in captivity.
No way to free hostages other than 'through negotiations', says Hamas
In a statement, Hamas says that today’s hostage release shows there is no way to free the hostages held in Gaza “except through negotiations and by adhering to the requirements of the ceasefire agreement”.
The group adds: “We say to the whole world: There is no migration except to Jerusalem,” a response to US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Palestinians resettle in neighbouring countries.
It was touch and go if the hostages would be released today, as earlier in the week, Hamas said they wouldn’t release them due to their claim that Israel had violated the terms of the ceasefire deal put in place three weeks ago.
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Hostages handed over to Israeli military
According to Israeli media the released hostages Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Troufanov and Iair Horn are now in the hands of IDF troops in the Gaza Strip.
They will shortly be brought out of the Strip to an army facility near the border community of Re’im for an initial checkup.
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Today’s handover unfolded a lot more smoothly than past releases orchestrated by both Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Previous releases were marked by chaotic scenes with hostages enveloped by large crowds as they made their way to Red Cross vehicles.
The IDF has confirmed that the three hostages are in the care of the Red Cross and will shortly be transferred to the military unit in Gaza.
Once the hostages are handed over to the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA), they will receive a medical assessment.
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Lair Horn, 46, was taken by fighters from his home in Israel’s Nir Oz settlement on 7 October 2023. Horn and his family emigrated from Argentina.
Sasha Trufanov, 29, a Russian Israeli national, was abducted with his girlfriend, Sapir Cohen, from their home in Nir Oz on 7 October. His father was killed in the attacks.
Sagui Dekel-Chen, who was also taken from Nir Oz, is a US Israeli citizen. The 36-year-old is a father of three, including one who was born during his captivity, and is not aware that his wife and children survived the October 2023 attack.
The Red Cross is now bringing them to IDF and Shin Bet forces inside Gaza to then be escorted out of the Strip, reports the Times of Israel.
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Here are some images from Saturday’s hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel.
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Israel is now expected to hand over 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Khan Younis, Gaza.
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In a highly coordinated operation, the hostages, flanked by heavily armed members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, were led onto to a stage covered in propaganda images and invited to speak on a microphone.
The hostages look in healthy condition.
All held up documents with their pictures as cameras and small drones hovered overhead, filming the event.
All three hostages have now been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
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Three Israeli hostages released
The three captives, Israeli-Argentinian Iair Horn, 46; Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36; and Israeli-Russian Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29 are now on stage being handed over to the Red Cross.
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Red Cross officials can be seen talking to Hamas officials and walking over to a white van which has just arrived in the square.
Several media are quoting a statement released by Hamas this morning, in which it says Israel will only be able to repatriate the remaining hostages if it implements in full all terms of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement.
Hamas added that the release of hostages is being carried out after it received guarantees from mediating countries that Israel will uphold the agreements, Haaretz reported.
“We expect Israel to begin the implementation of the humanitarian protocol, in accordance with assurances and guarantees received from mediators,” Hamas said.
Hamas has accused Israel of blocking aid despite the ceasefire and it has also killed dozens of Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy who was reportedly killed by an Israeli sniper on Thursday as he attempted to return to his home.
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Footage from Khan Younis shows hundreds of armed Palestinian fighters have gathered in the square, which is surrounded by buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments, while hundreds more people look on, climbing on cars and mounds of debris to get a better view:
Live footage from the scene shows Red Cross vehicles arriving at the scene in Khan Younis where the hostages are to be released.
Israelis are also preparing to watch the release of the hostages. Here are a few pictures from Tel Aviv:
Lebanon's president vows to punish protesters who attacked UN convoy
Elsewhere in the region, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has vowed to punish the protesters who attacked a UN peacekeeping convoy a day earlier that wounded the force’s outgoing deputy commander AFP reports:
Aoun “condemned the attack... and emphasised that the attackers will receive their punishment”, a statement from the presidency said on X.
“Security forces will not be lenient with any party that tries to upset stability and civil peace,” it added.
Hezbollah supporters blocked the road to the country’s only international airport for two consecutive nights over a decision barring two Iranian planes from landing in Beirut, with the army reporting protests in the area on Friday.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) has also demanded an investigation after one of its vehicles was set on fire during the Friday night incident, wounding outgoing deputy force commander Chok Bahadur Dhakal as he was returning home.
An AFP journalist saw smoke billowing from the charred husk of a vehicle emblazoned with the UN peacekeeping logo, with the army deployed nearby.
Demonstrators have been blocking the road to the airport and other roads in the capital to protest a decision by Lebanese authorities to revoke permission for a passenger plane from Iran to fly to Beirut on Thursday, leaving dozens of Lebanese passengers stranded.
The decision to ban the Iranian plane came after the Israeli army issued a statement claiming that Iran was smuggling cash to the militant group Hezbollah via civilian flights.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad has released a second video of Alexander Troufanov, Israeli media are reporting.
The video shows Troufanov in a tunnel being handed a document telling him of his release, the Times of Israel reported.
The militant group also released a video of him on Friday, showing him eating and fishing at the Gaza beach.
On the stage that has been erected, Hamas has put up banners including one reading “No migration except to Jerusalem”. This is an apparent reference to US President Donald Trump’s call for Palestinians to be removed from Gaza – which would amount to ethnic cleansing as many critics have pointed out.
A few pictures from Khan Younis, where the Israeli hostages are to be released, are dropping on the wires, showing Hamas fighters taking up their positions:
Hamas prepares for release of Israeli hostages
Palestinian and Israeli media are reporting that Hamas fighters have prepared a stage in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis ahead of the expected release of the three Israeli hostages.
Pictures posted on social media showed a row of white SUVs and dozens of Hamas fighters lined up in the square carrying flags.
انتشار عناصر كتائب القسام وسرايا القدس في خانيونس جنوبي قطاع غزة استعداداً لتسليم الأسرى الإسرائيليين للصليب الأحمر pic.twitter.com/X0ZJHz6ZAc
— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) February 15, 2025
Israeli newspaper Haaretz posted an image of a convoy of Red Cross vehicles, which it said was on its way to collect the three hostages: Iair Horn, 46; Sagui Dekel Chen, 36; and Alexander Troufanov, 29.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Israel-Gaza ceasefire.
Hamas is expected to release three Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for more than 300 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, as the shaky ceasefire appears to be holding despite inflammatory comments made by the US president, Donald Trump.
The three Israeli men set to be freed on Saturday are Israeli-Argentinian Iair Horn, 46; Israeli-American Sagui Dekel Chen, 36; and Israeli-Russian Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29. The trio were abducted from the Nir Oz kibbutz, where about 80 of roughly 400 residents were taken hostage during the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel.
The Palestinian prisoners’ information office said on Friday that 369 Palestinians were set to be released from Israeli prisons in the exchange. The list includes Ahmed Barghouti, 48, a close aide to Marwan Barghouti, a militant leader and iconic Palestinian political figure.
Ahmed Barghouti was sentenced to life on charges that he dispatched suicide bombers during the second intifada, or Palestinian uprising, in the early 2000s to carry out attacks that killed Israeli civilians. He was arrested alongside Marwan Barghouti in 2002.
The swap will be the sixth since the ceasefire took effect on 19 January. The UN human rights office has described images of both emaciated Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees released as distressing, saying they reflected the dire conditions in which they were held.
Ahead of the releases, Trump called for Israel to take a “hard stance” on Gaza. “I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow [Saturday] at 12 ’o clock. If it was up to me, I would take a very hard stance but I can’t tell you what Israel is going to do,” Trump told reporters on Friday.
Earlier this month Trump caused outrage by calling for Palestinians to be removed from Gaza – which experts say amounts to a call for ethnic cleansing – and for the US to take control of the territory.
Here’s a summary of other recent developments:
A group of Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday, wounding at least 16 Palestinians, according to paramedics. The Palestinian Red Crescent said in a statement that it brought four people to the hospital with fractures and wounds from the village of Al-Maniya, near Bethlehem. It said it treated 10 of the injured in the field. The head of the village council, Zayed Kawazbeh, told Palestinian news agency Wafa that a large group of settlers attacked residents using clubs, rifle butts and tear gas canisters. The settlers also set fire to two vehicles, vandalised several others and destroyed solar panels, tents and barracks in the area.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun has condemned an attack on a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon convoy in Beirut, saying security forces will not tolerate anyone who tries to destabilise the country, according to a statement by the president’s office. The outgoing deputy force commander of the Unifil was injured on Friday when a convoy taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport was “violently attacked”, Unifil said.
Iran accused Israel on Friday of disrupting flights from Tehran to Beirut, after a decision barring two Iranian planes from landing in the Lebanese capital sparked protests. Israel has repeatedly accused Hezbollah of using Lebanon’s only airport to transfer weapons from Iran. Hezbollah and Lebanese officials have denied Israel’s claims.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is expected to visit Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates soon to discuss the fragile Gaza ceasefire.
Saudi Arabia will host the leaders of four Arab countries at a summit on 20 February to discuss Trump’s proposal for a US takeover of Gaza, Agence France-Presse reported, citing a source with knowledge of the preparations. Speaking on condition of anonymity, another source said the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, would also attend.
Fourteen Palestinian children, many with cancer, have been flown to Italy for medical treatment, the latest among dozens brought from Gaza after the Hamas-Israel war. The children and their families, a total of 45 people, were flown to Italy on an Italian military plane, and greeted at Rome’s Ciampino airport on Thursday evening by the foreign minister, Antonio Tajani.
Two Jerusalem booksellers detained this week on charges their books were causing “public disorder” have said the experience reflected an intensifying campaign by the Israeli government against Palestinian culture and free speech. Mahmoud Muna and his nephew Ahmed, whose family has owned the Educational Bookshop for more than 40 years, spent two days in detention and will remain under house arrest until Sunday, despite the absence of evidence to support the vague accusations against them.
Turkey will not allow terrorist organisations to take shelter in northern Syria and will not hesitate to take action in that regard, the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said. The new Syrian administration under Ahmed al-Sharaa appears to be determined to fight those terrorist organisations, Erdoğan said, according to a transcript of his remarks to journalists on his return flight from a trip to Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan.
Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, and Rubio discussed Syria and Gaza during their first in-person meeting in Munich on Friday, a Turkish foreign ministry source said. Fidan called for the ceasefire in Gaza to be made permanent, Reuters reports.
