Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer
Israel and Hamas have completed the sixth hostage exchange, with hundreds of Palestinian prisoners released. The exchange took place on Saturday, just two weeks before the first phase of the Israel-Palestine ceasefire is set to expire.
Israeli officials expressed relief as three hostages—Iair Horn, Sagui Dekel Chen, and Alexander Troufanov—were freed. Before being reunited with his family, Troufanov was informed that his father had been killed in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. Chen prepares to meet his youngest daughter for the first time, while Horn’s brother remains in captivity.
In exchange for these three hostages, Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners later that day. Earlier in the week, a tense dispute threatened to derail the ceasefire deal and reignite fighting in Gaza. However, Hamas announced on Thursday that it would proceed with the exchange after mediators from Egypt and Qatar pledged to “remove all hurdles” to ensure Israel would allow more humanitarian aid, including medical supplies and tents, into Gaza.
Former President Trump posted on social media Saturday, stating that the hostages “seemed to be in good shape.” He then added, “Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 O’CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES. The United States will back the decision they make!”
