Hamas names 3 Israeli hostages set to be released Saturday to uphold shaky Gaza ceasefire

JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas named three Israeli hostages Friday set to be released in a weekend trade for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, the latest sign that the shaky Gaza ceasefire deal appears to be holding in spite of a tense dispute that has threatened to renew fighting.

The militant group and a forum representing the families of hostages identified the three men set to be freed Saturday as Israeli-Argentinian Iair Horn, 46; Israeli-American Sagui Dekel Chen, 36; and Israeli-Russian Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29. The trio were abducted from a kibbutz in southern Israel that was ravaged during the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack that ignited the devastating war.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, which began on Jan. 21, Israel is to release more than 300 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails in return for the three hostages. The exchange will be the sixth swap since the ceasefire took effect.

So far, 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners have been freed during the first phase of the truce. But the ceasefire had appeared dangerously close to collapse in recent days.

Hamas had said it would delay the next hostage release after accusing Israel of not adhering to the terms of the deal by not allowing in enough shelters, medical supplies, fuel and heavy equipment for clearing vast amounts of rubble.

Israel, with the support of U.S. President Donald Trump, has said it would resume fighting Saturday unless hostages were freed — leaving it unclear whether it meant the three hostages as scheduled in the ceasefire deal, or all remaining hostages.

An Israeli government official on Friday confirmed Israel had received the list of hostages to be released. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

The Hamas-linked prisoners’ information office said Friday that 369 Palestinians were set to be released from Israeli prisons in the exchange. It said 36 of those were serving life sentences.

Who are the hostages slated for release Saturday

Horn, Dekel Chen and Troufanov were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where some 80 of roughly 400 residents were taken hostage during the Oct. 7 attack.

Horn was abducted along with his brother, Eitan Horn, who had been staying with him at the time. Eitan remains in captivity.

Dekel Chen had been working on a bus renovation when militants stormed the kibbutz. His wife, Avital, who was seven months pregnant at the time, hid in a safe room with their two daughters. Avital has given birth to a third daughter while her husband has been in captivity.

Troufanov was taken hostage along with his grandmother Irena Tati, mother Yelena (Lena) and girlfriend Sapir Cohen. The three women were released during a brief ceasefire in November 2023. Troufanov's father was killed in the Oct. 7 attack.

Concern about remaining hostages' condition

Of the 251 people abducted, 73 remain in Gaza, around half of whom are believed to be dead. Nearly all the remaining hostages are men, including Israeli soldiers.

Concern has been growing about the remaining hostages' condition, particularly after the release of three last Saturday, who emerged looking emaciated and frail.

One of them, 65-year-old Keith Siegel, said in a video message addressed to Trump Friday that his captors had starved him and physically and emotionally tortured him.

He said the militants who held him for 484 days treated him worse as the 15-month war intensified, kicking him, spitting on him and holding him with no water or light. The statement marked one of the first accounts of Hamas captivity from a hostage released during the ceasefire.

“When I was in Gaza, I lived in constant fear...for my life and my personal safety,” he said.

Siegel, originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, implored Trump to use his “leadership and strength” to ensure the ceasefire holds and all hostages return home.

The truce faces a much bigger challenge in the coming weeks. The first phase is set to conclude at the beginning of March, and there have not yet been substantive negotiations over the second phase, in which Hamas would release all remaining hostages in return for an end to the war.

Trump's plan raises uncertainty

Trump’s proposal to remove some 2 million Palestinians from Gaza and settle them in other countries has thrown the truce’s future into further doubt.

His plan has been welcomed by Israel, but vehemently rejected by Palestinians and Arab countries which have refused to accept any influx of refugees. Human rights groups say it could amount to a war crime under international law.

Trump has said Gaza’s population should be resettled elsewhere in the region, with wealthy Arab countries paying for it. He has suggested that once the fighting ends, Israel would transfer control of Gaza to the United States, which would then redevelop it as the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right allies are already calling for a resumption of the war after the first phase with the goal of annihilating Hamas and implementing Trump’s proposal. The militant group remains in control of the territory after surviving one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history.

Hamas may be unwilling to release any more hostages if it believes the war will resume. The captives are among the only bargaining chips it has left.

‘New war’ would likely be far worse

The war has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Israel’s offensive has obliterated large parts of Gaza. At its height, the fighting had displaced 90% of the territory’s population of 2.3 million. Hundreds of thousands have returned to their homes since the ceasefire took hold, though many have found only rubble, buried human remains and unexploded ordnance.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, echoing Trump, said Wednesday that “all hell will break loose” if Hamas stops releasing hostages. He said a “new Gaza war” wouldn’t end until Hamas was defeated, which would allow for Trump’s vision of mass displacement to be carried out.

With far fewer hostages remaining in Gaza, Israel would have more freedom of action militarily.

It would also face far fewer constraints from the United States, its main military patron. The Biden administration, while providing crucial military and diplomatic support, had occasionally pressed Israel to allow in more aid and at one point suspended some weapons shipments. It had also said there should be no permanent displacement of its Palestinian population.

Trump has lifted restrictions on arms transfers, and his administration is pressing ahead with the sale of $7 billion worth of weapons approved under President Joe Biden.

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