The militants led by Hamas released three male Israeli hostages on Saturday and the Israeli forces released hundreds of prisoners in return, in the last indication that a high fragile fire that had staggered in recent days is being held.
Militants in the South Gaza Strip paraded the three hostages: Iair Horn, 46, a double citizen of Israel and Argentina; Sagui Dekel Chen, 36; and Russian-Israeli Alexander (Sasha) Troofanov, 29, before a crowd before releasing them. They were transported to Israel to meet with their families and receive medical evaluation in a hospital.
All had been kidnapped by Kibbutz Nir Oz, a community that is affected in the attack of October 7, 2023 that ignited the conflict. They seemed pale and worn, but seemed in better physical conditions than the three men launched last Saturday, which emerged demacred 16 months of captivity.
A tense dispute had jeopardized the truce of almost four weeks in recent days and threatened to renew the fighting.
The controversial proposal of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, to eliminate more than 2 million Palestinians from Gaza and establish them in other parts of the region has thrown even more doubts about the future of Alto El Fuego.
But Hamas said Thursday that he would advance with the launch of more hostages after conversations with Egyptian officials and Qatari. The group said that mediators had pledged to “eliminate all obstacles” to ensure that Israel allows more tents, medical supplies and other essential elements in Gaza.
As with the previous exchanges, the launch of hostages was very choreographed, with the captives made to walk towards a stage and speak in microphones before the crowd. Dozens of masked and armed hamas fighters aligned near the stage adorned with Palestinian flags and banner of militant factions.
In Tel Aviv's hostage square, great joy increased when hostages were transferred to the Red Cross. “Iair, Sagui and Sasha are on their way home!” A announcer said.
In exchange for the release of hostages, Israel began launching 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
A bus that transported the first released prisoners arrived in the busy city of Beitunia and was received by a lover multitude of relatives and supporters. Some appeared emaciated, and the Palestinian Crescent Emergency Service said that four were immediately taken to receive medical treatment.
The majority of those released were transported to Gaza, where a large crowd greeted them in Khan Younis, the same city where the hostages had been released hours before.
It is the sixth exchange since El Alto El Fuego entered into force on January 19. Before Saturday, 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners were released during the first phase of the truce.
Who are the hostages and the prisoners who are released?
Horn was kidnapped along with his brother, Eita Horn, who had stayed with him at that time. Eitan, 37, remains in captivity and is not on the hostage list that is expected to be launched in the first stage of Alto El Fuego.
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“Now, we can breathe a little. Our Iair is at home after surviving hell in Gaza, ”said his family in a statement. “Now, we need to bring Enan back so that our family can really breathe.”
Dekel Chen had been working outside when the militants broke into the Kibutz. His pregnant wife, Avital Dekel Chen, hid in a safe room with his two daughters. She gave birth to her third daughter two months later. Speaking to the Israeli media on Saturday, he said he was overwhelmed by happiness when he saw Sagui back to Israel, where he will meet his youngest daughter, Shache, for the first time.
The problem, whose father was killed during the October 7 attack, was taken as a hostage along with his grandmother, mother and girlfriend. The three women were released for a brief fire in November 2023. The problem was informed of their father's death after their liberation, shortly before meeting with their family, who said they were “overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude” while crossing Israeli.
The Palestinian prisoners who were released included 36 sentences to life imprisonment for their participation in mortal attacks against the Israelis.
Among the most prominent is Ahmed Barghouti, 48, a nearby militant leader and iconic Palestinian figure Marwan Barghouti.
Israel sentenced Ahmed Barghouti to life for charges that he sent suicidal terrorists during the second intifada, or the Palestinian uprising, in the early 2000s to carry out attacks that killed Israeli civilians. He was arrested alongside Marwan Barghouti in 2002.
Twenty -four of which they served perpetual chains would be exiled abroad, while 12 returned to West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The other 333 were returned to Gaza, from where they had been arrested. As part of Alto El Fuego, Israel has pledged to free more than 1,000 of Gaza's detainees, provided they had not participated in the October 7 attack.
The concerns are high about the remaining hostage condition
Of the 251 people kidnapped during the October 7 attack, 73 remain in Gaza, about half of which are believed to be dead. Almost all the remaining hostages are men, including Israeli soldiers.
The concern has been growing on its condition, particularly after the launch of three last Saturday, which emerged similar and fragile.
One of them, Keith Siegel, 65, said Friday in a video message addressed to Trump that his captors treated him worse when the 15 -month conflict intensified, kicking him, spitting him and holding him without water or light.
The truce remains fragile
The high fire seemed dangerously close to collapse in recent days.
Hamas had said that he would delay the release of hostages after accusing Israel not to adhere to his agreement by not allowing enough shelters, medical supplies, fuel and heavy equipment to clean the rubble. Israel said he would resume the fight on Saturday unless the hostages were released.
While the immediate crisis may have been avoided, the truce faces a much greater challenge with the first phase of the agreement established to conclude in early March. There have not yet been substantive negotiations about the second phase, in which Hamas would free all the remaining hostages in exchange for an end of the conflict.
At its peak, the fight displaced 90% of the Gaza population of 2.3 million. Since then, hundreds of thousands have returned to their homes as the high fire strengthened, although many found only debris, buried human remains and unleashed ammunition.
The conflict has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not say how many were combatants. Israel says he has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
Trump's plan increases uncertainty
Trump's proposal to eliminate about 2 million Palestinians from Gaza and establish them in other parts of the region has taken the future of the truce to doubt.
The idea has been welcomed by the Government of Israel. But it has been strongly rejected by the Palestinians and the Arab countries. Human rights groups say that it could be equivalent to a war crime according to international law.
Trump proposed that once the fight ends, Israel would transfer the control of Gaza to the United States, which would develop it again as the “Riviera del Middle East.”
The extreme right -wing allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are already asking for a resumption of the conflict after the first phase with the aim of destroying Hamas and implementing the Trump plan. The militant group continues to control the territory after surviving one of the most mortal and destructive military campaigns in recent history.
Hamas may not be willing to launch more hostages if you think the conflict will resume. The captives are among the only negotiation chips that you have left.