Gaza ceasefire: Meet three Israeli men with dual nationality freed by Hamas

The latest releases brings the number of hostages freed by Hamas in the first phase of ceasefire to 24.

Updated on: Feb 15, 2025, 16:58:44 IST

By HT News Desk, New Delhi

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Three Israeli men holding dual citizenship were freed by Hamas on Saturday, under terms of the Palestinian militant group's ceasefire agreement with Israel.

Israeli hostages Iair Horn, 46, left, Sagui Dekel Chen, 36, center left, and Alexander Troufanov, 29, right, are escorted by Hamas and islamic Jihad fighters as they are handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025.

The release of Sagui Dekel Chen, Iair Horn and Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov brings the number of hostages freed by Hamas to 24.

Under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement – the truce kicked in on January 19 and was brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt – Hamas is to release 33 hostages (eight of whom are dead) its militants abducted and brought to Gaza on October 7, 2023.

Hamas militants abducted 251 people during their attack on Israel, which launched the war in Gaza. More than 70 hostages remain in Gaza, although nearly half are believed to be dead.

Meanwhile, in exchange for the abductees, Israel will free almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners from its jails.

Who are the three new hostages freed by Hamas?

Sagui Dekel Chen: The 36-year-old is also an American national, and at the time of the attack, his wife was pregnant with their third child. An avid tennis player who co-founded an arts center for young people in southern Israel, he was one of the first people to raise alarm about the infiltration of his kibbutz (settlement).

His wife gave birth to their third daughter in December 2023.

Iair Horn: A football fan, Horn manages a pub and supports the local football team in Beer Sheba city of southern Israel. Also an Argentinian citizen, the 46-year-old was kidnapped along with his brother, Eitan, who is not on the list of hostages to be released during the ceasefire's first phase.

Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov: An Amazon engineer by profession, Troufanov, who is a Russian citizen as well, was abducted along with his grandmother, mother and girlfriend. The rest of the family was freed during a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023.

However, his father was killed during the attack.

(With AP inputs)

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