Three Hostages Freed on Shabbos; Hundreds of Prisoners Released in Exchange
Three Israeli hostages—Sasha Alexander Troponov, Sagiv Dekel-Chen, and Yair Horn—have been freed from Hamas captivity as part of the sixth phase of the ongoing hostage exchange deal. The three had been held in Gaza since Simchat Torah 5784, following Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel. Their release took place on Shabbos • Read More
In a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, the government welcomed the return of the hostages:
“Today, three of our hostages—Yair Horn, Alexander Sasha Troponov, and Sagiv Dekel-Chen—have been returned to Israel. We embrace them with open arms. We have been preparing for their return and, together with their families, will assist in their rehabilitation after their long and painful ordeal.”
The Prime Minister’s Office also accused Hamas of attempting to violate the terms of the deal:
“Once again this week, Hamas sought to breach the agreement and manufacture a crisis with baseless claims. However, thanks to the strong presence of our forces inside and around Gaza, as well as the firm and unequivocal stance of President Trump, Hamas backed down, allowing the release to proceed. We continue to work in full coordination with the United States to secure the return of all hostages—both the living and the fallen—as swiftly as possible. We remain fully prepared for any necessary actions moving forward.”
Prisoner Exchange
As part of the highly contentious agreement, Israel released 369 Palestinian terrorists from its jails. According to Hamas’s Prisoners Ministry, those freed include 36 individuals serving life sentences and 333 detainees from Gaza, many of whom were arrested following Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel!
This release marks the largest single-phase prisoner exchange involving Gazan detainees so far. Among those released, one life-sentenced prisoner was transferred to East Jerusalem, while 24 others were deported to foreign countries.
The Israel Prison Service (IPS), under the directive of Commissioner Rav-Gondar Kobi Yaakobi, dressed the released prisoners in shirts emblazoned with the Star of David and a phrase in Arabic: “We will not forget, and we will not forgive.”
In an official statement, the IPS noted:
“The Israel Prison Service has completed the sixth phase of the prisoner release as part of Operation ‘Wings of Freedom’, aimed at securing the return of Israeli hostages. Under Operation ‘Derech Eretz’, 369 terrorists were transferred from multiple detention facilities across the country to Ofer and Ketziot prisons, escorted by IPS Nachshon Unit officers with support from the Israel Police.”
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