Hamas names three hostages scheduled for weekend release

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Protesters in Tel Aviv demand the release of hostages held by Hamas Associated Press / Photo by Oded Balilty

Hamas names three hostages scheduled for weekend release

The Gaza-based terrorist organization Hamas on Friday said it would release Iair Horn, Sagui Dekel Chen, and Alexander Sasha Troufanov. The three men have spent nearly 500 days in captivity since Hamas seized roughly 250 people on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the hostage advocacy group Bring Them Home Now. Hamas said it was releasing the three men as part of a ceasefire agreement it reached with Israel earlier this year. The exchange would be the sixth of the ceasefire that began four weeks ago.

Who are they?

American-Israeli Sagui Dekel Chen is 36 years old and was taken from Nir-Oz, according to Bring Them Home Now. He was among the first to sound the alarm about the Oct. 7 attack, according to the Times of Israel.
Argentinian-Israeli Iair Horn is 46 years old and was taken from Nir-Oz, according to Bring Them Home Now. He is known for managing the kibbutz pub, according to the Times of Israel.
Russian-Israeli Alexander Sasha Troufanov is 29 years old and was taken from Nir-Oz, according to Bring Them Home Now. He was abducted along with his girlfriend, mother, and grandmother, according to the Times of Israel.

What is Hamas getting in exchange for these three hostages? The terrorist group said it would get back three dozen Palestinians from Israel who were currently serving lifetime sentences in prison. It would also welcome more than 330 Palestinians arrested since Oct. 7, 2023, the group said.

Wasn’t this called off? Earlier this week, Hamas said it would not be releasing any more hostages because Israel had allegedly violated portions of the ceasefire agreement. Those violations included attacking and arresting Palestinians and depriving people in Gaza of humanitarian aid. The terrorist organization reversed course days later, saying it would be handing over more hostages this weekend after Israel agreed to bring some humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

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