Hamas released three more Israeli hostages on Saturday at a ceremony marked some of the same provocative plays used by Palestinian extremists in their previous releases.
Part of the 42-day ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which took effect last month, was the sixth round of a tense exchange of hostages. Hamas was taken in October 2023 and agreed to gradually release 33 of the nearly 100 people that have not yet been considered. In exchange, Israel will release more than 1,000 Palestinians in prison and partially withdraw from Gaza.
Let's take a closer look at three civilian hostages, including Israeli-Americans who were released on Saturday.
Sagui Dekel Chen
Dekel Chen, an Israeli American who played for Israeli national basketball team, is 35 years old from Nir Oz, a kibbutz in southern Israel, near the Gaza border, where Hamas-led Maritants lured over 70 people. did. Attack on October 7, 2023.
He was a father of three, and his youngest child was born to his prisoners. Dekel-Chen works as a national coordinator for the UK branch of the Jewish National Fund, and with his wife, he converted the bus for new uses such as mobile classrooms.
Dekel-Chen's family was extremely enthusiastic about advocating for a ceasefire agreement. His father, Jonathan Dekel Chen, a history professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, wrote the New York Times opinion critical of the Israeli government in order to prevent hostages from being brought home.
In August, he told the Times that he and other members of Nir Oz Kibbutz would not take part in the official government ceremony planned to commemorate the October 7 attack. He said they were “affected by the idea that this government would create a ceremony that would distract them from their negligence.”
Hostage mother Neomit Dekelchen and some of their neighbors were also captured in the attack on October 7th. According to an account given to Israeli news media, when an Israeli military helicopter shot the militants, she fled from an electric cart that was heading towards Gaza.
Iair Horn
Mr. Horn was 45 years old when he was accused of Nilloz with Eitan, one of the two brothers he was visiting over the weekend. Iair worked in construction, and Eitan worked as a teacher.
Mr. Horn was born in Israel and grew up in Argentina. According to his mother, Ruth Strom, he returned to Israel as an adult with his parents and siblings. They are part of the large Argentinian community of Kibbutz, including other families awaiting the return of hostages.
Eitan Horn is due to be released in the first phase of the deal, and Strom says he is worried that Iair will have to leave his brother behind.
Their father, Itzik Horn, meant that Israel would release a prisoner designated as a terrorist after Israeli forces accidentally shot and killed three hostages who fled from prison in Gaza in December 2023. He said he must reach a deal.
“The most important thing isn't to defeat Hamas,” he said in an interview. “The only victory here is to get all the hostages back.”
Sasha Torfanov
Torfanov, a double citizen of Russia, Israel, who was 27 years old when he was captured, was visiting Nir Oz's family on October 7th. November 2023.
Torfanov, who lived with his girlfriend in the suburbs of Tel Aviv, worked for a company owned by Amazon, but Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Gaza's second-strongest extremist group after Hamas last November. was seen in the video released by. . He was tired, with an untrimmed whisker and bag appearing to be under his eyes, and he talked about his lack of food and water.
In October, Hamas official Musa Abu Malzuk told Russia today that he had spoken to Islamic Jihad about Torfanov, and that Hamas exchanged hostages with “President Vladimir 5 President V” and Palestinian prisoners. He said he would prioritize it. .
