Hamas fighters paraded the three Israeli hostages through a large crowd before releasing them in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Terror organization Hamas has released three more hostages to Israel in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The Feb. 15 swap was conducted as a cease-fire brokered by the United States and Arab states continues to hold under strain.
Hamas fighters paraded the three hostages through a large crowd before releasing them in a show of force likely designed to underscore the fact that the terrorist group is still operating despite Israel’s war in Gaza.
The hostages, all dual citizens, were transported to Israel to be reunited with their families and to receive medical evaluation.
Hostages released included Argentinian-Israeli citizen Iair Horn, American-Israeli citizen Sagui Chen, and Russian-Israeli citizen Alexander Troufanov.
All three men were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz during Hamas’s terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
The men were pale and disheveled as they were paraded through the streets of Gaza, but appeared to be in better physical health than the hostages released last week, whose emaciated condition outraged Israelis and threatened to bring the current cease-fire crumbling down.
The three return home to a different Israel than the one they were taken from and will now be reunited with families that have seen much suffering in the 16 months since the war began.
Horn’s brother, Eitan Horn, who had been staying with him at the time, remains in captivity and is not currently scheduled for release in any swap.
Troufanov, meanwhile, was informed shortly before his release that his father had been killed on Oct. 7. His grandmother, mother, and girlfriend were previously released after spending more than a year in Hamas captivity.
Chen’s wife, who was pregnant during the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack and hid in a safe room with their other daughters, has since given birth to the couple’s third daughter. A child whom Chen will now meet for the first time.
In exchange for the three hostages, Israel is releasing 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Four of the prisoners were taken for medical treatment, according to the Red Crescent.
