Three Israeli hostages freed after 498 days in Hamas captivity 

After 498 days in captivity, three Israeli hostages—Alexandre Trufanov, Sagui Dekel-Chen, and Iair Horn—have been released and are now back in Israeli custody, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Saturday, February 15.

The hostages are being accompanied by IDF and Israel Security Agency (ISA) forces as they return to Israeli territory, where they will undergo medical assessments.  

The release was met with cheers in Tel Aviv’s Hostages’ Square, where crowds had gathered in anticipation. The men, all abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, have endured nearly 17 months in captivity.  

Trufanov, 29, an Israeli-Russian citizen, was taken from his family home, where his father was murdered, and four other relatives were kidnapped. Dekel-Chen, 36, an American-Israeli citizen, was taken while protecting his pregnant wife and two daughters, who survived the attack. Horn, 46, was abducted alongside his younger brother Eitan, whose release has not yet been secured.  

Their return follows negotiations mediated by Egypt and Qatar, which led Hamas to back down from a threat to delay further hostage releases. The exchange is part of a ceasefire agreement under which Israel has agreed to release Palestinian prisoners in return for hostages.  

So far, 73 of the 251 people kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 hostages confirmed dead by the IDF.