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After 498 days in Gaza captivity, three additional Israeli hostages were released by Hamas on Saturday after days of uncertainty, with the terror group earlier threatening to end the ceasefire deal with Israel.

Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, Iair Horn, 46, and Sasha Troufanov, 29, were handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, near the destroyed house of Yahya Sinwar, a former Hamas leader killed by the IDF last October. The location has become among the favorites for the terror group to conduct the “handover” ceremonies.

Similar to previous occasions, Hamas terrorists once again paraded the hostages on a stage, conducted photo-ops and forced the men to give speeches. They gave the men “certificates of release” and gift bags, which included maps of “Palestine.”

The three men appeared thin and limping, but they looked to be in better shape than the three hostages released last week. The malnourished appearance of last week’s hostages sparked outrage and concern for those who remain in captivity.

Dekel-Chen, Horn, and Troufanov were then taken to IDF forces stationed inside Gaza before being transferred to a military base on the Israeli side of the border, where they were greeted by some of their loved ones.

After initial medical checkups, Dekel-Chen and Troufanov were airlifted to Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, while Horn was taken to Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv.

The three Nir Oz natives

All three men were abducted from their homes in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023.

Troufanov, who also holds Russian citizenship, was kidnapped along with grandmother Irena, mother Yelena, and girlfriend Sapir Cohen. All three women were freed in the November 2023 hostage deal between Israel and the terrorist groups.

Troufanov was shot in both legs during the kidnapping and taken to Gaza by Islamic Jihad terrorists. His father, Vitaly, was shot dead in the ordeal. Sasha remained unaware whether his father had survived until his release from captivity.

Prior to his abduction, Troufanov worked as an engineer at Amazon’s offices in Israel. On Saturday, the company released its first statement acknowledging Troufanov’s abduction, and welcoming his release.

Dekel-Chen, who also holds US citizenship and is an entrepreneur, was among the first in Nir Oz to alert the residents of the attack.

He helped his pregnant wife, Avital, and two children hide in the safe room, before confronting the terrorists, who abducted him. His youngest daughter was born while he was in captivity, and only upon his release did he finally see her and learn her name.

Dekel-Chen’s mother, Neomit, was also abducted, but the vehicle that was taking her to Gaza was hit by an IDF helicopter. She was wounded but managed to reach safety.

Horn, who holds Argentinian citizenship, was abducted along with his younger brother Eitan, 38, who was visiting Nir Oz for the weekend. Eitan is not expected to be released in the first stage of the ceasefire deal, which includes so-called “humanitarian cases.” Iair was included on the list due to suffering from diabetes.

As part of the first part of the ceasefire deal brokered between Israel and terrorist groups in Gaza, 14 additional hostages are expected to be released in the coming weeks, though only six of them are believed to be alive.

In return, Israel has started to free nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, hundreds of them jailed for their roles in deadly terror attacks. 

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