Israeli hostages and Palestinian inmates freed in ceasefire swap
2025-02-15
Category: news

Hamas has freed three Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, in the latest swap under the ceasefire agreed by Israel and the militant group last month.The three hostages handed over on Saturday are American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, Argentinian-Israeli Yair Horn, 46, and Russian-Israeli Alexander Troufanov, 29.In return, 369 Palestinians held in Israeli jails were released.So far 19 hostages held in Gaza and over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners have been freed as part of the Gaza ceasefire that began on 19 January 2025.
By the end of the first six-week stage of the deal, 33 hostages and 1,900 prisoners are expected to have been freed.On Saturday, in the sixth swap since last month, Israeli hostages were handed over in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.Surrounded by heavily armed Hamas militants, the men briefly addressed a crowd of Palestinians before being transferred into Red Cross vehicles.They did not look as gaunt as the hostages freed a week earlier - their appearance had aroused anger in Israel and elsewhere.The three men were airlifted by military helicopters to a hospital in central Israel where they will undergo medical tests and be reunited with relatives.Israeli President Isaac Herzog, posting on social media, said the hostages had been "forced to endure" a "despicable and cynical ceremony".In a social media post, Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel would continue to work with the US to "ensure that all hostages return to Israel soon". 
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The majority of the freed Palestinians were taken to Gaza, although some were taken to the West Bank. In both areas, crowds gathered to welcome the former prisoners.The Palestinian Red Crescent Society told the BBC that five of those released in the West Bank city of Ramallah were taken straight to hospital."They all have chronic illnesses," said Mohammad Faqih, an official from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, adding that one man had a broken leg.Most of the 36 Palestinians serving life sentences will reportedly be deported to Egypt.
Earlier this week, Hamas threatened to delay the hostage release after accusing Israel of violating the terms of the agreement, something Israel denied. Israel, backed by US President Donald Trump, said "intense" fighting would resume unless the hostages were handed over.The latest releases mean that under the ceasefire, Hamas is due to free another 14 hostages. However Israel says eight are of them are dead, meaning six living Israelis are still expected to be returned in the first phase.A total of 141 hostages have now been freed, including 81 Israelis and 24 foreign nationals released as part of a previous deal between Israel and Hamas.About 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken back to Gaza as hostages when Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023.This triggered a massive Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, the Hamas-run health ministry says.