In a significant development, Hamas has released three Israeli hostages in a prisoner exchange deal that comes as part of a ceasefire agreement reached last month.

The hostages released on Saturday include Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, an American-Israeli, Yair Horn, 46, an Argentinian-Israeli, and Alexander Troufanov, 29, who is of Russian descent.

In return, Israel set free 369 Palestinian prisoners detained in its jails.

Since the commencement of the ceasefire on January 19, 2025, 19 hostages from Gaza and over 1,000 Palestinian detainees have been released.

By the completion of the initial six-week phase of this agreement, it is anticipated that 33 hostages alongside 1,900 prisoners will be liberated.

This marked the sixth exchange since last month, with the Israeli hostages being handed over in Khan Younis, located in southern Gaza.

Amid a group of heavily armed Hamas fighters, the hostages briefly addressed a gathering of Palestinians before being transferred to Red Cross vehicles.

Notably, they appeared healthier compared to those released a week prior, whose frail condition had provoked backlash in Israel and beyond.

Yair Horn and his brother Eitan, 37, were both taken from a kibbutz during the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. Eitan Horn remains missing in Gaza.

The trio was then airlifted to a hospital in central Israel for medical evaluations and reuniting with their families.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog took to social media, stating that the hostages had been “forced to endure” a “deplorable and manipulative ceremony”.

Defence Minister Israel Katz also expressed a commitment to work closely with the U.S. to “ensure the prompt return of all hostages to Israel”.

Most of the released Palestinians returned to Gaza, while a few were taken to the West Bank, where crowds formed to welcome them home.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that five individuals released in the West Bank city of Ramallah were rushed to the hospital.

“All of them have ongoing health issues,” remarked Mohammad Faqih, an official from the Red Crescent, noting that one person suffered a broken leg.

The majority of the 36 Palestinians serving life sentences are expected to be deported to Egypt.

Earlier this week, Hamas issued a warning about potentially postponing the release of hostages, alleging violations of the agreement by Israel, a claim that Israel has refuted.

With support from U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel reiterated that “intense” military operations would resume if the hostages were not released.

As part of the ongoing ceasefire negotiations, Hamas is obliged to release an additional 14 hostages.

However, Israel has indicated that eight of these individuals are presumed dead, leaving six living Israelis to be returned during the first phase.

Thus far, a total of 141 hostages have been freed, including 81 Israeli nationals and 24 foreign individuals as a result of a prior agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Following the attacks on October 7, 2023, around 1,200 individuals lost their lives, and 251 were taken to Gaza as hostages.

This escalation prompted a wide-reaching Israeli military campaign in Gaza, claiming the lives of over 48,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry operated by Hamas.