Israel And Hamas Complete Sixth Exchange Of Hostages
Israel and Hamas completed the sixth exchange of hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners on Saturday with just over two weeks remaining in the initial phase of their fragile Gaza ceasefire.
The three hostages handed over on Saturday are American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, Argentinian-Israeli Yair Horn, 46, and Russian-Israeli Alexander Troufanov, 29.
In return, 369 Palestinians held in Israeli jails were released.
The majority of the freed Palestinians were taken to Gaza, although some were taken to the West Bank. In both areas, crowds gathered to welcome the former prisoners.
Armed, masked militants made the three pale, worn men walk onto a stage and speak to a crowd before handing them over to the Red Cross in the southern city of Khan Younis. The 369 Palestinian prisoners were later released.
They did not look as gaunt as the hostages freed a week earlier – their appearance had aroused anger in Israel and elsewhere.
So far 19 hostages held in Gaza and more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners have been freed as part of the Gaza ceasefire that began on 19 January 2025.
By the end of the first six-week stage of the deal, 33 hostages and 1,900 prisoners are expected to have been freed.
