Hamas Releases Three Israeli Hostages After 498 Days’ Captivity as Hostages-For-Terrorists Deal Continues
Israel to free 369 convicted Palestinian terrorists in exchange for these hostages.
Hamas on Saturday released three Israeli hostages after 498 days of captivity in the sixth round of hostages-for-terrorists swap since a deal was reached mid-January. The hostages release are: Israeli-Argentine dual citizen Iair Horn (46), U.S.-Israeli citizen Sagui Dekel Chen (36), and Russian-Israeli national Alexandre Troufanov (29).
“Three returning hostages are currently being accompanied by IDF special forces and ISA (Israel Security Agency) forces on their return to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment,” the military confirmed in a press release Saturday morning.
The 3 returning hostages are currently being accompanied by IDF and ISA forces on their return to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment.
The IDF salutes and embraces the returning hostages as they make their way home to the State of Israel.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 15, 2025
The freed hostages were welcomed by the Israeli soldiers who been fighting for their release for fifteen long months. “The commanders and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces salute and embrace the returning hostages as they make their way home to the State of Israel,” the IDF statement said.
Hostages were reunited with their family members at the Re’im IDF base near Gaza, media reports said.
Photos of the emotional meeting between Alexander (Sasha) Trufanov and his grandmother Irena at Sheba Medical Center.
Avi Ohayon, GPO pic.twitter.com/VgG5rOfd4T
— Government Press Office
(@GPOIsrael) February 15, 2025
WATCH: The families of Israeli hostages Sagui Dekel Chen and Iair Horn react as their loved ones return to Israel. #BringThemAllHome
pic.twitter.com/JNIJJCLwf6
— Noa Tishby (@noatishby) February 15, 2025
Iair Horn is reunited with his mother Ruti and brother after 498 days as a hostage in Gaza pic.twitter.com/tvsOuNwjzo
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) February 15, 2025
Besides torturing and starving the hostages, Hamas kept them in the dark about the fate of their family and loved ones.
“During the debriefing process, Sagui Dekel-Chen was informed of the birth of his daughter, Shahar, who was born four months after he was taken hostage. Dekel-Chen reacted with immense joy, IDF officials said,” the Israeli news website YNET reported. “Officials also confirmed that Trupanov was informed during his journey back to Israel that his father, Vitaliy Trupanov, was murdered by Hamas during the October 7 attack.”
The three men looked pale, thin, and unsteady on their feet after almost 500 days as hostages in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/PcEO2L7VsQ
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) February 15, 2025
The hostages were released after President Donald Trump earlier this week appeared to give Israel a free hand in dealing with Hamas if all captives kidnapped on October 7, 2023 were not released by Saturday. “Let hell break out,” President Trump said Monday, leaving the decision on resuming the military operation to Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed U.S. president’s sentiment, vowing to unleash “intense fighting” if all hostages were not released by this weekend. The remarks came in the backdrop of horrific images of three frail and emaciated male hostages released by Gaza last weekend.
Iair Horn during the emotional reunion with his father Yitzhak, at Ichilov Hospital.
Video credit: Oz Shechter, GPO pic.twitter.com/FVBbx5X6pd
— Government Press Office
Israel hits back at Hamas propaganda, terrorists set for release made to wear t-shirts saying ‘we will not forget or forgive’
Like the highly-choreographed hostage release in the past, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror groups used the occasion to stage another propaganda event, with armed terrorists flanking the frail captives and forcing them to read out their messages as part of psychological warfare against Israel.
“Masked Hamas militants has handed over three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Yunis,” the France24 TV channel noted. The hostages “were paraded on the stage and told to address the crowd before their handover to the Red Cross.”
HIDING BEHIND CIVILIANS
How many Palestinians lost their lives since October 8, 2023? It looks like more than half reported were actually Hamas terrorists.
Thousands of Palestinians parading with AK-47s in Hamas uniforms today, were acting as civilians during the war in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/CMjfdhKCBz— Harry Theocharous (@TheocharousH) February 15, 2025
Hamas used the hostage photo-op for yet another twisted bid to pressure Israeli public into submitting to its demands, the Jerusalem Post reports:
Hamas placed a picture of hostage Matan Zangauker and his mother on the stage, where three hostages about to be released were forced to speak on Saturday, with the caption “Time is running out.”
Zangauker’s image appeared beside an hourglass, an symbol used in many of Hamas’s psychological terror videos of the hostages.
His mother, Einav, confirmed in September that her son was alive and being kept alongside ten other living hostages. (…)
In addition to the photo of Zangauker, Hamas placed several banners in Hebrew, English, and Arabic. Notably, one of the banners read “no migration except to Jerusalem” – a likely reference to Trump’s relocation plans.
Hamas gave the released hostages a "gift" to pass to Einav Zangauker, the mother of the hostage Matan who is still being held captive.
An hourglass with the inscription "Time is running out.”
Barbaric. pic.twitter.com/7Z91cpGLbH
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) February 15, 2025
Israel finally countered the Hamas propaganda by making the terrorists slated for release today wear t-shirts emblazoned with the Start of David symbol and carrying the Arabic message: “We will not forget or forgive.”
The Times of Israel reported:
In an apparent tit-for-tat for Hamas’s hostage release theatrics, the Israel Prison Service has put on its own spectacle.
It now shares that it has dressed the hundreds of Palestinian prisoners set for release today in shirts featuring its logo, a Start of David and the sentence in Arabic: “We will not forget or forgive.”
The terrorists being released today in exchange for the 3 Israeli hostages will be wearing a shirt with a Star of David and the words:
“WE WILL NOT FORGET AND WE WILL NOT FORGIVE”
pic.twitter.com/4Iju0LxSdI
— Itay Gliner (@Gliner) February 15, 2025
Several murderous terrorists to be freed in hostages-for-terrorists swap
The freedom of hostages on Saturday was again secured at a painfully high price. Israel will release 369 convicted Palestinian terrorists in exchange for these three hostages. Terrorists to be freed include Ahmad Barghouti, who is serving 13 life sentences for plotting waves of suicide bombings.
“Barghouti’s conviction includes multiple charges: weapons possession, membership in an unauthorized organization, attempted murder through hostile actions, engagement in hostile activities, and murder through hostile actions,” the Israel Hayom newspaper observed. “His actions resulted in the deaths of 12 Israelis during Second Intifada suicide attacks, including the devastating bombing at Tel Aviv’s Seafood Market restaurant.”
Another murderous terrorist to go free, Mansour Sharim, had received 14 life-terms for “numerous attacks against Israelis during the Second Intifada,” a Palestinian campaign of terror waged between 2000 and 2005, the newspaper added.
Children in Gaza today during the hostage release.
Hamas is creating the next generation of terrorists. pic.twitter.com/PpHIARbAEe
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) February 15, 2025
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I recall the typically idiotic propagandist-anchor from the (I think) BBC, who several months ago criticized/slandered Israelis for allegedly believing that one Israeli life was worth the lives of several Fakestinians — thus stupidly and dishonestly failing to acknowledge the obvious fact that it is the Fakestinian terrorist-thugs are the ones who are setting the hostage-terrorist exchange ratios, and, who are demanding scores of terrorists released for each hostage.
Now what, that certainly isn’t all of the hostages
Now Israel gets to do what Trump promised will happen if all the Israeli hostages were not released by Saturday, 15-February-2025. Unleash all unholy he** on Hamas and its supporters in the Gaza Strip.
At least that is what is supposed to happen. But I doubt it will.
Israel will probably do nothing as long as Hamas continues to release hostages even if it is 4-5 a week. Because unlike Hamas the govt of Israel cares about its citizens. However everyone knows Hamas is just dragging this out so they can rearm and do something stupid again and then they will find out what happens when the US tells Israel do what you want, if you need any help or materials just give us a call.