Freed hostages Yair Horn, Alexander Trupanov & Sagui Dekel-Chen return from Gaza after 498 days of captivity
'Hamas backed down' after creating 'false crisis,' Netanyahu declares
Yair Horn, Alexander Trupanov and Sagui Dekel-Chen were released from captivity in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, 498 days after they were kidnapped by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad from their homes in Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023.
Their release had been awaited with particular apprehension in Israel, as Hamas said earlier this week it would suspend the hostage releases, citing alleged Israeli ceasefire violations.
However, the release ceremonies were carried out relatively quickly and smoothly on Saturday. Like the previous weeks, the terrorists began preparing early in the morning, clearing a square and setting up a stage in the southern city of Khan Younis.
This time, the stage scenery included a message to U.S. President Donald Trump, responding to his plan to evacuate Gaza’s population: “No migration except to Jerusalem.”
The release ceremony itself was carried out similarly to past weeks and without disturbances by the crowd, which was held back from the square in front of the stage by masked and armed terrorists.
The Red Cross representatives arrived at the square and signed Hamas’ cynical “release documents” on stage before the Israeli hostages were paraded on stage and forced to give speeches in Hebrew.
According to Israeli media outlets, which didn’t broadcast the speeches themselves, the hostages were forced to send messages to the Israeli government, demanding that it continue the hostage deal with its three stages.
The hostages were then handed over to the Red Cross, which took them to an IDF post in the Gaza Strip. From there, IDF troops escorted the three men to the initial reception point near Kibbutz Re’im, where they were reunited with some family members and underwent initial medical checks.
🎥 Watch the moment of relief and joy as the families of Sagui Dekel Chen and Iair Horn watched their loved ones return to Israel. pic.twitter.com/hj7RVPZI4J
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 15, 2025
After last week's release sparked shock and outrage in Israel over the visibly poor condition of the freed hostages, Horn, Trupanov, and Dekel-Chen were released in relatively better condition and did not require assistance to walk onto the stage.
In addition to Hamas’ cynical messages on the stage and the hostages being forced to give speeches, the terror group again employed several means of psychological warfare.
Before the ceremony, Hamas announced that a vehicle stolen from Israel from the Oct. 7 terror attack would accompany the hostages to the square. Once on stage, they were made to show their “release documents” and “gift bags.”
Dekel-Chen was handed an extra “gift” for his daughter, who was born in his absence.
On the podium on stage, Hamas terrorists put an hourglass with the message, “Time is running out,” and pictures showing hostage Matan Zangauker and his mother Einav, who is among the leaders of the protest movement demanding the immediate return of the hostages and blaming the government for not doing enough to accomplish it due to political motivations.
Matan is not slated for release during the first phase of the ceasefire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the return of the hostages on Saturday, saying he welcomed them “with a big embrace.”
“We have prepared for their return, and along with their families, we will assist in their rehabilitation after a long and excruciating period of captivity,” he said.
In his statement, the prime minister noted that Hamas, this week, “attempted to violate the agreement and create a false crisis under false claims. Due to the concentration of our forces inside the Strip and around it, and to President Trump's clear and unequivocal statement, Hamas backed down, and the release of the hostages proceeded.”
“We are working in full coordination with the United States in order to free all of our hostages – the living and the deceased – as soon as possible; and are preparing with full intensity for what comes next, in every sense,” Netanyahu added.
In a separate statement, Defense Minister Israel Katz noted, “The IDF is fully deployed and prepared for any scenario and any attempt by the Hamas terrorist organization to violate the agreement and prevent the release of the hostages.”
President Isaac Herzog, in his statement, stressed that Dekel-Chen “has yet to meet his daughter who was born after he was kidnapped. His wife, Avital, was 8 months pregnant with Shachar Mazal as she escaped to the safe room with their two young daughters in their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz.”
Alexander’s journey home begins with the embrace of his loved ones who never stopped holding onto hope. pic.twitter.com/5vL9ckZ82B
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 15, 2025
Israeli media reported that he was told about his daughter’s birth by IDF troops immediately upon his release.
“Israeli and Russian citizen, Sasha [Alexander] spent two birthdays in captivity in Gaza. His father was murdered, his mother, grandmother and girlfriend were kidnapped and released in the previous deal,” Herzog said of Trupanov.
This Valentine’s Day holds new meaning for Sagui Dekel Chen and his wife Avital as they are finally reunited. Love is stronger than terrorism.❤️ pic.twitter.com/adKJitmM4g
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 15, 2025
The president emphasized that Yair Horn, “an Israeli with Argentinian citizenship, an avid soccer fan, and a beloved member of his community, returns while his younger brother Eitan is still held in captivity. These are not horror movie scripts – this is the reality of innocent civilians abducted by Hamas terrorists, and now being freed after 498 days in the tunnels and dungeons of Gaza.”
Iair is back home in the embrace of his family, yet his brother Eitan is missing from this moment, still held by Hamas in Gaza.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 15, 2025
We won’t stop operating until they’re finally reunited. pic.twitter.com/ZxBerTV1IP
Herzog concluded: “Completing a hostage deal is a human, moral, and Jewish imperative. We will continue to do everything in our power to bring back all our sisters and brothers from captivity in Gaza – until the last one returns!”
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
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