Hamas has released three additional Israeli hostages on Saturday, coinciding with Israel’s decision to free 369 Palestinian prisoners. This development has helped to extend a delicate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, which was close to collapse just days earlier.

The freed hostages — identified as Alexander Troufanov, 29 (commonly known as Sasha); Iair Horn, 46; and Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, one of the few Americans remaining in Gaza — appeared to be noticeably thinner and paler after enduring 16 months in captivity. They were taken from the Israeli border village of Nir Oz during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack that initiated the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

While their condition was concerning, it was not as dire as that of three hostages who were released the previous Saturday, whose extreme malnourishment sparked outrage and horror across Israel.

Palestinian militants leveraged the hostage exchange, the sixth carried out during the initial phase of the cease-fire, to stage a performance aimed at asserting their continued influence in Gaza, despite the heavy Israeli military response, which has included significant airstrikes and a ground invasion following the events of October 2023.

In a notable display, dozens of armed fighters from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad compelled Troufanov, Horn, and Dekel-Chen to take the stage in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where they were made to deliver speeches in Hebrew, with images of Hamas leaders prominently displayed behind them.

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