The scheduled release of three Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners went ahead on Saturday, as the region let out a collective sigh of relief after the near-collapse of the fragile truce during the week.
American-IsraeliSagui Dekel-Chen, 36, Argentine-Israeli Iair Horn, 46, and Russian-Israeli Sasha Trufanov, 29, were released in the morning, before Israel began the process of releasing an expected 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
But four of the Palestinian prisoners were found in a “critical condition” and rushed to hospital by the Palestinian Red Crescent, with others looking gaunt following their release.
Scenes at the hostage release were more muted than usual after Hamas-led militants kept the crowd back, following the chaos of previous exchanges. The hostages were taken up on stage where they spoke into a microphone, holding onto what appeared to be gifts and certificates of their release.
The Palestinian militant group had set up a sign reading “no migration except to Jerusalem”, which they confirmed after the release was a reference to president Donald Trump’s proposals to forcibly transfer Gaza’s two million-strong population to Egypt and Jordan.
Meanwhile, large crowds gathered near Ofer prison in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as Israel began releasing scores of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. It is unclear whether any of those released had been detained under Israel’s administrative detention policy, under which it imprisons thousands of Palestinians without charge or trial.
Cheering crowds celebrated the exchange in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square and in the West Bank town of Beitunia, where the first bus of released Palestinian prisoners arrived. It is the sixth swap to take place since the ceasefire began on 19 January. Before Saturday, a total of 730 Palestinian prisoners and 21 hostages had been released.
Emotional photos showed Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees reuniting with loved ones following Saturday’s exchange.
The freed Israeli hostages, who had all been seized from Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October 2023, appeared in better health than the three men freed last week, who looked pale and underweight. They underwent a medical assessment after being transferred to Israel.
Dekel-Chen was seen in a video released by the Israeli military being reunited with his wife Avital, who revealed to him the name of their third daughter, born two months after his abduction. The little girl is called Shachar Mazal – “Shachar” is Hebrew for dawn and “Mazal” means luck. “It’s perfect,” said Dekel-Chen.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum Headquarters said Saturday was a “moment of light in the darkness”, adding that “all involved parties must ensure that liberation day comes soon for all hostages”.
The family of Iair Horn said they “can breathe a little” now he is free, but still hope for the safe release of his 38-year-old brother, Eithan, who remains in Gaza and will not be released in the first stage of the ceasefire.
It comes after the ceasefire deal came close to collapse throughout the week, after Hamas suspended the release of hostages, accusing Israel of breaching ceasefire obligations, including delaying the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza, carrying out strikes across the enclave and hindering the entry of humanitarian aid.
Gaza’s health ministry said at least 92 Palestinians have been killed and more than 800 wounded by Israeli fire since the ceasefire deal.
Three Israeli officials and two mediators told The New York Times, on condition of anonymity, that Hamas’s claims were accurate. But COGAT, the Israeli military unit overseeing aid deliveries, described the accusations as “completely false”.
Israel responded by threatening to “open the gates of hell” on Gaza if hostages were not released on Saturday. After talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, Hamas agreed the hostage release would go ahead, saying the mediators had pledged to “remove all hurdles” to ensure Israel would allow more tents, medical supplies and other essentials into Gaza.
After the hostages were released, Hamas said in a statement: “The release of the sixth batch of enemy prisoners reaffirms that their freedom can only be secured through negotiations and adherence to the commitments of the ceasefire agreement.”
