DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip. Hamas is set to release three Israeli hostages on Saturday as part of a tenuous ceasefire agreement that mandates the exchange of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in return. The fragile truce, which began nearly four weeks ago, has been under strain due to recent disputes that threatened to reignite the conflict.
The planned release follows discussions between Hamas and Egyptian and Qatari mediators, who pledged to “remove all hurdles” to ensure Israel permits more humanitarian aid, including tents and medical supplies, into Gaza.
The hostages expected to be freed after more than 16 months in captivity are Iair Horn, 46, an Israeli-Argentine dual citizen; Sagui Dekel Chen, 36, who holds American-Israeli citizenship; and Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29, an Israeli-Russian dual citizen. The three were taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, which triggered the ongoing war.
Horn was abducted along with his brother, Eitan Horn, who remains in captivity. Dekel Chen was seized while working outside, while his wife and two daughters hid in a safe room—she later gave birth to their third child in captivity. Troufanov was taken alongside his grandmother, mother, and girlfriend; the three women were released in a temporary truce in November 2023, but his father was killed in the attack.
Meanwhile, the Hamas-affiliated Prisoners’ Information Office reported that 369 Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli prisons on Saturday, including 36 individuals serving life sentences. Among them is Ahmed Barghouti, 48, a close aide to Marwan Barghouti, a senior figure in Palestinian politics. Ahmed Barghouti was sentenced to life imprisonment for orchestrating suicide bombings during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s, which resulted in Israeli civilian casualties. He was arrested alongside Marwan Barghouti in 2002.
This will mark the sixth hostage-prisoner swap since the ceasefire took effect on January 19. So far, 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners have been freed under the agreement. However, tensions persist, with international concerns over the stability of the truce and the long-term implications for peace in the region.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflorhttps://tutubi.ph/author/venusp/
- Venus L Peñaflorhttps://tutubi.ph/author/venusp/
- Venus L Peñaflorhttps://tutubi.ph/author/venusp/
- Venus L Peñaflorhttps://tutubi.ph/author/venusp/
