By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
GAZA CITY/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Hamas, designated as a terrorist organization by Israel and most of its allies, has released three hostages, including Alexander Troufanov, Argentine-Israeli Yair Horn, and American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, officials say.
It came shortly before a noon (Israel Time) deadline passed for Hamas to free hostages on Saturday.
Israeli Government Spokesman David Mencer declared, “If those three are not released, if Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will resume fighting until the final defeat of Hamas.”
After seeing three nearly-starved hostages coming out in the last exchange, U.S. President Donald J. Trump even demanded that Hamas let “all” of the remaining hostages go this weekend. “Saturday at 12 o’clock, and after that, I would say all hell is going to break out,” Trump cautioned. Yet, he also left the final decision up to Israel.
Hamas held two of the hostages released Saturday, while Islamic Jihad held the third.
Those freed had been held since October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and abducting some 250 others in what the Israeli government viewed as the worst atrocity against Jews since the Holocaust, also known as the Shoah.
Hamas transported the hostages to Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where they were handed over to the Red Cross. From there, they were taken to an Israeli military zone, witnesses said.
The release had been uncertain for days, with Israel warning it would resume military operations if Hamas failed to comply with the cease-fire accord, including the correct release of hostages in line with agreements.
Last week, Hamas briefly suspended hostage releases, accusing Israel of violating the terms, but after international mediation, the process resumed.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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