Hamas frees three Israeli hostages; “time is running out” for the rest

Shafaq News/ On Saturday, Hamas handed over three Israeli hostages to Red Cross teams in Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, under the ceasefire agreement with Israel.

The release of the hostages—Sasha Troufanov, Sagui Dekel-Chen, and Iair Horn—involved cooperation between Hamas and Islamic Jihad and took place in Khan Yunis, near the home of the murdered Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the same location Hamas chose as a political symbol when handing over the fifth batch.

In exchange, Israel is preparing to free 369 Palestinian prisoners as part of the sixth batch, marking the final stage of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.

The three hostages, in statements made in Hebrew, called for the completion of the ceasefire stages and the return of all hostages to their countries, with one stressing that "time is running out for the remaining ones."

Of the 251 Israelis kidnapped during the October 7 attack, 73 are still held in Gaza, 35 of whom have died, according to the Israeli military.

The operation coincides with the expected arrival of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Israel on Saturday evening for scheduled talks the following day. The discussions will reportedly focus on efforts to release American and all other hostages, advance to Phase II of the ceasefire agreement, and counter the “destabilizing actions” of Iran and its allies.