Three hostages to be released from Gaza
Israeli authorities confirmed on Friday that Sasha Trupanov, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Yair Horn are due for release under a ceasefire deal with Palestinian group Hamas, which entered into force on January 19.
This combination of pictures created on February 14, 2025 shows posters of three Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023: Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov and Israeli-Argentinian Yair Horn. Picture: AFP
JERUSALEM - Three Israeli men, all dual nationals who were abducted from the same kibbutz community during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack and held hostage by Gaza militants since, are set for release on Saturday.
Israeli authorities confirmed on Friday that Sasha Trupanov, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Yair Horn are due for release under a ceasefire deal with Palestinian group Hamas, which entered into force on January 19.
Sixteen Israeli hostages have so far been released under the truce deal in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli custody. Five Thai captives have been freed outside the scope of the accord.
The hostage-prisoner exchange scheduled for Saturday would be the sixth swap since the ceasefire began, halting more than 15 months of fighting.
- Sasha Trupanov -
Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov, 29, was kidnapped with his girlfriend Sapir Cohen from Nir Oz kibbutz in southern Israel, where the couple was visiting family.
He is held by Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, which has fought alongside Hamas in the Gaza Strip and has published video clips of him in captivity.
Cohen, along with Trupanov's mother and grandmother, were taken hostage too but released in November 2023, during the war's first truce.
READ: Israel says to resume Gaza fighting if hostages not freed Saturday
His father Vitali Trupanov died in the October 7 attack.
The Trupanov family immigrated to Israel from Russia in the late 1990s.
- Sagui Dekel-Chen -
Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, was taken from Nir Oz as he tried to protect his family during the attack.
He is married and has three daughters. The youngest one was born during his time in captivity.
READ: Hamas rejects US, Israeli 'threats' as mediators push to salvage Gaza deal
Dekel-Chen is reputed to be a DIY expert and a keen amateur musician.
- Yair Horn -
Israeli-Argentinian Yair Horn, 46, was seized from his home in Nir Oz kibbutz with his 38-year-old brother Eitan Horn who was visiting him.
With Eitan not due for release, their father Itzik Horn has told AFP of an "impossible situation. One son might be released, and the other one isn't".
Yair Horn was included on the list of hostages up for release during the truce's first phase as he is diabetic.
He worked in construction and was very involved in community life, organising parties and activities on his kibbutz. He was also in charge of the local pub, according to Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.