After mediators settled a disagreement over the distribution of humanitarian aid that had threatened to disrupt the tenuous cease-fire, Hamas reportedly said on Saturday that it would free the final American-Israeli civilian still alive who was being held hostage in Gaza together with two other men.
The terrorist organization declared that it will release Argentinian-Israeli Iair Horn, 46; Russian-Israeli Sasha Troufanov, 29; and American-Israeli Sagui Dekel Chen, 36.
In return, Israel is anticipated to free 369 Palestinian detainees, 36 of whom are serving life sentences.
From kibbutz Nir Oz, which is close to the Gaza border, Dekel Chen was abducted. His youngest daughter, born in December 2023 while he was still in prison, is the youngest of his three little girls.
Along with his grandmother, mother, and girlfriend—all of whom were released in a previous cease-fire agreement in November 2023—Amazon employee Troufanov was also removed from kibbutz Nir Oz.
According to intermediaries, Hamas was under pressure from Russia to free Troufanov sooner.
Horn and his brother Eitan Horn were abducted; they will be held until the second phase of the cease-fire, along with other people who are believed to be unharmed men under 50 who will only be freed if Israel and Hamas agree to extend the agreement.
In order to protest delays in the delivery of tents and mobile shelters to Gaza, where the conflict has destroyed civilian infrastructure and displaced the majority of the population, Hamas vowed to halt the hostage release this week, casting doubt on the swap. Israel was accused by Hamas for the delay.
Although Israel and Hamas have both accused one another of breaking the conditions of the truce, this week’s conflict constituted the worst danger to the agreement since it went into effect on January 19.
After aid delivery resumed on Thursday, with dozens of mobile homes lining up at the Rafah gate between Egypt and Gaza and several tents entering the enclave, mediators claimed tensions subsided.
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