Hamas has named three hostages Russian-Israeli Alexander Troufanov, Argentine-Israeli Yair Horn, and US-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen who are set to be freed on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Their release follows days of uncertainty over the ceasefire’s future, with Israel warning it will resume bombing if the exchange does not proceed as planned.
The announcement comes after Hamas initially postponed the release, citing alleged Israeli ceasefire violations. President Donald Trump has also called for the ceasefire to be scrapped if Hamas does not release all remaining hostages by midday on Saturday.
Since the ceasefire began on January 19, 16 Israeli and five Thai hostages have been freed in exchange for 566 Palestinian prisoners. The first six-week phase of the agreement aims to see a total of 33 hostages released in return for around 1,900 Palestinian detainees.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. In response, Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza, where more than 48,230 people have been killed, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Seventy-three hostages taken on October 7 remain in Gaza, along with three other Israeli hostages—one of whom has been held for over a decade and is believed to be dead. Troufanov, Horn, and Dekel-Chen were all seized from Kibbutz Nir Oz near Gaza.
The ceasefire has faced multiple challenges, with both sides accusing each other of violations. Mediation efforts by the US, Egypt, and Qatar have so far kept the truce from collapsing.
Israel has criticized the way hostages have been publicly paraded by Hamas before their release, calling it a humiliating spectacle. Meanwhile, Hamas has accused Israel of restricting aid deliveries into Gaza, arguing that the agreed-upon number of tents and aid trucks has not been allowed through.
