On Saturday, Hamas freed three Israeli hostages, including an American father of three, helping to maintain the delicate cease-fire that was nearly jeopardized when the group threatened to delay further releases of captives.

The hostages released included Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36; Alexander Troufanov, 29; and Yair Horn, 46, all of whom were seized during Hamas’ brutal assault on October 7, 2023. They were handed over to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who have been overseeing the release process in Gaza.

During a propaganda event in Khan Younis, the three men were introduced to a crowd of Hamas soldiers and local citizens. Horn received an hourglass inscribed with a message featuring fellow Israeli captive Matan Zangauker and his mother Einav, stating, “Time is running out.”

The fragile 42-day cease-fire appeared under threat earlier this week as Hamas warned of an indefinite delay in releasing any more hostages. The organization accused Israel of not adhering to various terms of the truce, including the provision of tents and aid for displaced Palestinians.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, backed by President Trump, stated on Tuesday that unless Hamas released the remaining hostages by noon Saturday, military operations would resume in the conflict-affected region.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz echoed this sentiment, warning on Wednesday that there would be dire consequences if Hamas ceased the release of hostages, asserting that a “new Gaza war” would commence until the terrorists were dismantled.

Amid rising tensions, Hamas ultimately complied and agreed to release the three hostages on Thursday as previously arranged, citing discussions with Egyptian and Qatari mediators aimed at unimpeded aid delivery. Hamas claimed that these officials had assured them that “all hurdles” would be cleared.

All three hostages were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Or during Hamas’ deadly cross-border attack on October 7, which resulted in around 80 of the nearly 400 residents being taken captive and transported to Gaza.

Dekel-Chen, one of the last American-Israeli hostages thought to be still alive, was fixing a bus outside when he spotted the approaching terrorists. He took quick action to secure his wife, Avital, and their two daughters in a safe room before returning to defend the kibbutz. Avital, who was seven months pregnant at the time, gave birth to their third daughter, Shachar Mazal, in December 2023.

Upon learning about the birth of his daughter, now one year old, Dekel-Chen expressed his joy, stating to Israeli media, “I’m great, I’m great, I have a daughter.”

Reports indicated that Hamas gifted Dekel-Chen a gold coin in honor of his daughter’s birth.

Yair Horn, an Argentinian-Israeli, was kidnapped along with his brother, Eitan, who remains in captivity in Gaza. Horn’s family reported that he appeared diminished after enduring nearly 500 days of captivity.

Troufanov, of Russian-Israeli descent, was taken hostage alongside his mother, Yelena; his grandmother, Irena Tati; and his girlfriend, Sapir Cohen. His father, Vitaly, was killed during the October 7 attack. The women were previously released in November 2023 during an earlier truce.

So far, Israel and Hamas have conducted six exchanges during the current six-week cease-fire, which began in January and halted over 15 months of conflict in Gaza triggered by Hamas’ surprise attack that resulted in 1,200 deaths and 251 kidnappings.

The recent strain on the cease-fire raises questions about the viability of extending the multistage agreement beyond its initial phase, which aims to facilitate the release of 33 Israeli hostages taken on October 7, 2023, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

As of Saturday, 24 hostages have been released, including 16 Israelis and 5 Thais, while over 730 Palestinian prisoners have also been freed.

According to Hamas, another 369 Palestinian prisoners, including 36 serving life sentences, are expected to be released on Saturday.

Negotiations for the next stage of releases, expected to involve all remaining live hostages in exchange for Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent cease-fire, have yet to yield any significant progress.

Netanyahu faces mounting pressure from the far-right factions within his government to resume military operations in Gaza once the first stage of the agreement concludes in early March, along with implementing Trump’s controversial plan for the forced resettlement of over 2 million Gazans into neighboring Arab states.

However, these countries have generally declined to accept any Palestinian refugees, although King Abdullah II of Jordan recently indicated that his country would accept 2,000 sick children from Gaza.

With contributions from Post wires