After 498 days in brutal Hamas captivity, Israeli hostages Sagui Dekel-Chen, Alexandre (Sasha) Trufanov, and Yair Horn were freed on Saturday and reunited with their families.
Their release comes after Hamas threatened last week to not release the hostages.
Emotional Reunions
The three hostages were first taken to the IDF’s Re’im base, where they met their families in tearful reunions before being transported to hospitals for medical evaluations.
Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, an American-Israeli from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023. His wife, Avital, who was seven months pregnant at the time, managed to hide with their two daughters, escaping the massacre.
During their reunion, she revealed to him the name of their newborn daughter, Shahar-Mazal. Overcome with emotion, Dekel-Chen embraced his wife and held a sign for his children that read, “Daddy is on his way.”
שגיא דקל-חן במפגש הראשון המרגש עם אשתו אביטל והוריו נעומית ויונתן, בנקודת הקליטה הראשונית בישראל.
צילומים: דובר צה"ל pic.twitter.com/OWSVIQZeuF
— ראש ממשלת ישראל (@IsraeliPM_heb) February 15, 2025
“Our Sagie is home,” his family said in a statement. “For almost 500 days, he was so far away, and now, at last, he is on Israeli soil, with us. He will now begin the recovery process and meet his youngest daughter for the first time.”
שגיא דקל-חן עם בני משפחתו, במסוק בדרכם לבית החולים.
שגיא כתב: "ברי, גלי, שחר – תודה ששמרתן עליי, אבא בדרך"
צילומים: דובר צה"ל pic.twitter.com/Vu2PMqwYRM
— ראש ממשלת ישראל (@IsraeliPM_heb) February 15, 2025
Alexandre (Sasha) Trufanov, 29, who holds dual Israeli-Russian citizenship, was also taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where his family had lived since making aliyah when he was three years old.
He was visiting his parents on that fateful Saturday when Hamas terrorists stormed the community, murdering his father and abducting him along with his mother, grandmother, and girlfriend. The three women were released in November 2023, but Trufanov remained in captivity, where he was forced to appear in Islamic Jihad propaganda videos.
אלכסנדר (סשה) טרופנוב במפגש הראשון והמרגש עם אמו ילנה ובת זוגו ספיר כהן, בנקודת הקליטה הראשונית בישראל.
צילומים: דובר צה"ל pic.twitter.com/4oQJVbyKBg
— ראש ממשלת ישראל (@IsraeliPM_heb) February 15, 2025
Upon his release, Trufanov was informed for the first time of his father’s murder. His family described the moment as deeply painful but expressed gratitude for his survival. “Seeing him today strengthens us and gives us great hope for the long recovery process ahead of him,” they said in a statement.
The third freed hostage, Yair Horn, 46, was also abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his younger brother, Eitan, who remains in Hamas captivity.
Horn, a passionate Hapoel Beersheva soccer fan, requested that his helicopter pass over the team’s stadium on the way to Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. His family released a statement saying, “We can finally breathe a little. Our Yair is home after surviving hell and terror in Gaza. Now, we just need to bring Eitan back so our family can truly breathe again.”
יאיר הורן במפגש מרגש עם בני משפחתו, עם הגעתו לבית החולים איכילוב.
"איזה אלוף, אין עליך!"
וידאו: עוז שכטר / לע"מ
צילומים: מעיין טואף / לע"מ pic.twitter.com/32wUqHVsxi— ראש ממשלת ישראל (@IsraeliPM_heb) February 15, 2025
Hamas’ Cruel Staging of the Release
Before releasing the three hostages, Hamas exploited them for a propaganda spectacle. The terrorists forced them onto a stage in Khan Younis, where they were subjected to further psychological abuse, compelled to participate in a scripted performance. An hourglass was placed on stage featuring an image of another hostage, Matan Zangauker, with his mother, bearing the inscription, “Time is running out.” Hamas then handed the hourglass to Yair Horn in a cynical and cruel attempt to manipulate emotions.
In a calculated move to feign “humanitarian concern,” Hamas also presented Sagui Dekel-Chen with a gift supposedly for his newborn daughter—a grotesque display given the months of torture and deprivation he had endured.
The Larger Conflict and the Ceasefire’s Fragility
The release took place amid a fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Earlier in the week, Hamas threatened to suspend the scheduled hostage release, accusing Israel of violating the terms. In response, Israel made clear that if the three hostages were not released by noon on Saturday, military operations would resume. U.S. President Donald Trump also applied pressure, warning that Hamas needed to release all remaining hostages or the “gates of hell would be opened.”
On Thursday, Gazan terrorists fired a rocket for the first time in several weeks, which misfired and killed a Gazan teenager in Nusseirat. The IDF swiftly responded, striking the source of the launch in the Bureij refugee camp.
Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv’s Hostages’ Square, crowds erupted in cheers upon hearing the news of the hostages’ return. However, the mood remained tempered by the grim reality that 73 hostages (70 from October 7, and 3 from before) remain in Hamas captivity, with over 30 believed to be dead.
The Horrific Price of the Ceasefire Deal
Saturday’s exchange saw the release of three Israeli hostages in return for 369 terrorists. The first phase of the ceasefire, which began on January 19 and is scheduled to last until March 1, aims to free a total of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for up to 1,904 terrorists. Hamas has claimed that eight of these Israeli hostages are already dead but has provided no evidence.
Since the start of the hostage releases, Hamas has freed 19 Israeli and five Thai captives in exchange for 952 Arab terrorists. The fate of the remaining 65 Israeli hostages remains uncertain, as negotiations for the next phase continue. Critics argue that this phased approach prolongs the suffering of those still held captive and diminishes Israel’s leverage in the war against Hamas.
IDF’s Commitment to Bringing the Hostages Home
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi reaffirmed the military’s commitment to securing the release of all remaining hostages. “Alongside the immense emotion with the return of each hostage, we in the IDF remember our obligation to bring them all back. We are investing great efforts toward this goal while simultaneously preparing offensive plans.”
The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement welcoming the three men home, while also highlighting Hamas’ repeated attempts to manipulate the hostage negotiations. “Thanks to the concentration of our forces inside and around Gaza, and due to President Trump’s clear and unequivocal statement, Hamas backed down, and the hostage releases continued. We are working in full coordination with the United States to secure the release of all our hostages—both the living and the fallen—as quickly as possible.”
The War Is Far from Over
The October 7 Hamas massacre, which left over 1,200 people dead and 252 Israelis and foreigners kidnapped, continues to cast a long shadow over Israel. While each hostage’s return is a moment of relief, the war against Hamas is far from over. Israel remains steadfast in its mission: to bring every last hostage home and to ensure that the terrorist organization that carried out these atrocities is eliminated once and for all.
Content from TPS and JNS was used in this report.
