The American American Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, was one of the three hostages published by Hamas on Saturday morning after being detained in captivity in Gaza for almost a year and a half. The other two hostages given to the Red Cross staff in the southern city of Gaza, Khan Younis, were Israelis Sasha Troufanov, 29, and Iair Horn, 46.
The men were led to a stage by Hamas agents in Khan Younis, all walking without serious injuries, and they have read statements, but Israeli television did not broadcast the audio of the remarks.
The Israeli defense forces confirmed shortly after the Red Cross had transferred the men to the FDI and had crossed the Gaza border in Israel.
BASHAR TALEB / AFP / GETTY
“Return hostages are currently on the way to a first point of reception in southern Israel, where they will be gathered with family members,” the FDI said in a press release. “”
The three men seemed pale and worn but seemed in better physical condition than the three hostages released last Saturday, which was emerged from 16 months of captivity.
The three men were kidnapped in the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023From Kibbutz Nir Oz near the border with Gaza, where they lived. Two were detained by Hamas and one was detained by another militant group in Gaza, Islamic jihad.
Dekel-Chen worked in the Nir Oz machining workshop when Hamas led its attack on October 7. He confronted the terrorists and was taken hostage, according to the hostage forum and missing families, which represents the families of the people who were seized that day.
Handout / IDF
His father Jonathan, who lives in New York, told CBS News in September 2024 that Dekel-Chen was the “father of three little girls”, of which he still had not met.
“His seven-month pregnant wife miraculously survived with their two little girls on October 7,” Jonathan Dekel-Chen to CBS “Face The Nation” said at the time. On Saturday, the FDI published a photo of Sagui brought together his wife, Avital.
Troufanov, Amazon engineer, immigrated to Israel from the Soviet Union, said the forum. His father was killed during the October 7 attack. His grandmother, her mother and girlfriend were taken hostage, but then released as part of a previous exchange of hostage prisoners with Hamas in November 2023.
Horn, 46, was born in Argentina and was kidnapped with his brother, Eitan, October 7. Eitan remains in captivity and is not on the list of hostages that should be published in the first stage of the ceasefire.
“Now we can breathe a little. Our IAIR is at home after surviving hell in Gaza, “his family said in a statement. “Now we have to bring Eitan back so that our family can really breathe.”
Hamas said Thursday that he would continue to publish hostages according to the terms of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement with Israel after Say several days earlier That he would delay the scheduled exchange on Saturday, accusing Israel of violations of the agreement.
Hamas, which has reigned over Gaza for almost two decades, but has long been designated by Israel and the United States. Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel warned that if the exchange on Saturday did not take place as planned, it would resume military operations in Gaza. Under the terms of the agreement, Israel began to publish 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, 36 of which was serving perpetuity on deadly attacks.
A bus carrying the first liberated prisoners arrived in the western city occupying Beitunia and was greeted by an acclaiming crowd of parents and supporters. Some seemed emaciated, and the Palestinian Emergency Service of the Red Crescent said that four had been immediately taken for medical treatment.
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of having violated the agreement several times, but he has remained in force since the start of its implementation on January 19.
The agreement consists of three phases, and the first current phase of six weeks is to see a total of 33 Israeli hostages released in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners. On Saturday, 24 of the Israeli hostages have been released since the start of the ceasefire.
Negotiations for the second phase of the agreement began, which, if agreed, would see even more hostages released and the total withdrawal of the Israeli Gaza forces.
Israel launched a 15 -month war against Hamas in Gaza in response to the terrorist attack on October 7, which saw activists kill some 1,200 people in southern Israel and take 251 others hostage. The war killed more than 48,000 people in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian territory.
Independent analyzes of external organizations have estimated the number of deaths to more than 64,000.
contributed to this report.