Ben Sales reports for JTA.
Three Israeli hostages were released from captivity in Gaza Saturday, including Sagui Dekel-Chen, an American citizen.
This Valentine’s Day holds new meaning for Sagui Dekel Chen and his wife Avital as they are finally reunited. Love is stronger than terrorism.❤️ pic.twitter.com/adKJitmM4g
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 15, 2025
Dekel-Chen was freed along with Yair Horn, an Argentine-Israeli, and Sasha Trufanov, a Russian-Israeli. All three were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on the Gaza border during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Dekel-Chen and Horn were held by Hamas, while Trufanov was held by Islamic Jihad, another Gaza terror group.
The release, which like previous ones followed a choreographed handover ceremony run by the terror groups, happened after a week when the Israel-Hamas ceasefire appeared to be on the verge of falling apart.
Last Saturday, three released hostages came back in visibly poor health, sparking outrage in Israel. Hamas then said it was postponing further hostage releases, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire’s terms. President Donald Trump then called on Hamas to release all hostages by Saturday, a demand Israel endorsed. That call followed Trump’s proposal to depopulate Gaza and have the United States take it over.
But following further talks, the sides decided to proceed with the deal they had agreed on last month.
Alexander’s journey home begins with the embrace of his loved ones who never stopped holding onto hope. pic.twitter.com/5vL9ckZ82B
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 15, 2025
The hostages released Saturday appeared to be in better health than those released last week. Dekel-Chen returned to meet his daughter, who was born months after he was taken. Trufanov, however, came back to news that his father had been killed on Oct. 7, 2023. Horn’s brother is still held captive in Gaza.
Iair is back home in the embrace of his family, yet his brother Eitan is missing from this moment, still held by Hamas in Gaza.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 15, 2025
We won’t stop operating until they’re finally reunited. pic.twitter.com/ZxBerTV1IP
In exchange, Israel released more than 300 Palestinian security prisoners.
There are 70 hostages remaining in Gaza, approximately half of whom are confirmed to be dead. It remains to be seen whether the ceasefire will proceed to its later stages, in which the rest of the hostages are meant to be released in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners, and Israel is meant to fully withdraw from Gaza.
Fourteen hostages are yet to be released in the deal’s first stage, eight of whom are confirmed to be dead.
