Conflict in the Middle East: Islamists leave three more hostages in the Gaza Strip

The terrorist organizations of Hamas and Islamic jihad have released three other Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip. The men kidnapped 16 months ago were handed over to representatives of the Red Cross in Chan Junis and met with relatives in Israel a little later. In return, Israel left 369 imprisoned Palestinians – as provided for a ceasefire agreement of the warring parties.

During the hostage handover on television, the men were led onto a stage by hundreds of hundreds in front of the eyes of hundreds of onlookers. There they had to speak in a microphone and hold “free -range documents” and “souvenir” of their captivity in their hands. Israel’s President Izchak Herzog spoke of a “detention -worthy and cynical ceremony”.

At first glance, the hostages did not look as emaciated as the men released in the previous week.

The Islamists had already tried to present themselves as undefeated and militarily capable of acting during the previous hostage clearances despite all the destruction during the Gaza War. A war goal of Israel was and is to completely smash Hamas.

An Israeli became a father in absence

The released Sagui Dekel-Schen (36) can now get to know his hostile daughter, his third child. When asked about his state of health, he replied: he is doing well. A video spread by the army showed him in the arms of his crying wife, who also tells him the name of the daughter: Schachhar Mazal.

The 46-year-old Horn, who was also released, had lost half of his weight, said media said. Israel’s government spread a video of reunion with his mother and his youngest brother. In photos he can be seen in the jersey of his favorite football team next to his mother. According to the media, the 46-year-old was flown on the way to the hospital over the stage of his club at his own request. Horn has a younger brother who is still in Hamas captivity.

Alexander (Sascha) also came free Trufanov, who also has a Russian passport. His father was killed in the terrorist attack. According to his own information, his relatives did not know whether Trufanov is clear.

Terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups killed around 1,200 people on October 7, 2023 and abducted more than 250 Israelis as hostages into the Gaza strip on October 7, 2023. The attack was the trigger of the war in the sealed coastal area, where, according to the health authority controlled by the Hamas, more than 48,000 people have been killed since then. The number does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.

Palestinian prisoners are also released

In return, Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from prisons. Four buses with Palestinians arrived in the Gaza Strip in the afternoon, previously a minibus with eight inmates had already reached Ramallah in West Bank.

In return for the three Israeli men, 369 detained Palestinians were to come-including 333 people who were arrested in the Gaza Strip after October 7, and 36 Palestinians sentenced to lifelong prison terms from West Bank and from East Jerusalem. Due to their serious crimes, several are brought abroad as part of the agreement.

Israeli media reported that hundreds of the free Palestinians, on the order of Israel’s sweaters with a David star and the Arab inscription “We don’t forget, we don’t have to forgive”. The newspaper “Times of Israel” wrote a reaction to the Islamists’ staging around the hostage of the hostages in the Gaza Strip. According to reports, the shirts later burned the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Waffenruhe stood on the tilt

Hamas had initially postponed the release that has now taken place indefinitely. Israel then threatened with a new beginning of the war, and US President Donald Trump gave the Islamists an ultimatum to force the release of all remaining hostages. The Islamist organization finally steered after placement talks in Egypt. A failure of the fragile ceasefire could be averted again.

Trump, meanwhile, announced that he left Israel the decision on how to deal with the expired ultimatum. He had set a deadline after all the hostages would have to be free until Saturday, 12 p.m. According to the agreement, however, only three kidnapped people should be released.

Now 73 hostages in the Gaza Strip – 37 alive

Since the beginning of the ceasefire in the Gaza War on January 19, Islamists in the Gaza Strip have now released 19 hostages in several rounds as part of the deal. In addition, five Thai people kidnapped from Israel were released regardless of the agreement. 14 other kidnapped, including eight deaths, are to be handed over in the next two weeks as part of the first phase of the deal.

A total of 73 hostages are now being recorded in the Gaza Strip, including 36 corpses. Further living should be released in a second phase of the deal. It is currently completely uncertain whether the second phase is actually implemented.

Military with photos of reunion