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Sagui Dekel-Chen, Iair Horn and Alexander "Sasha" Troufanov have arrived in Israel after being released from Hamas captivity following 498 days in Gaza, marking the latest phase of the hostage-prisoner exchange deal.
The three men, kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, were earlier handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza after a staged handover in Khan Younis, where Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) paraded them on stage in a highly choreographed propaganda event. They were then transported to an IDF meeting point before crossing into Israeli territory.
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Sagui Dekel-Chen (second from left) and Troufanov (right)
(Photo: REUTERS/REUTERS TV)
The IDF confirmed that the released hostages later arrived at a medical reception facility in Re’im, near Gaza, where medical teams and personnel from the Manpower Directorate were accompanying them hostages through initial health assessments, while military representatives remained in close contact with their waiting families at the hospital, providing updates.
During the debriefing process, Sagui Dekel-Chen was informed of the birth of his daughter, Shahar, who was born four months after he was taken hostage. Dekel-Chen reacted with immense joy, IDF officials said.
Officials also confirmed that Troufanov was informed during his journey back to Israel that his father, Vitaliy Troufanov, was murdered by Hamas during the October 7 attack.
The handover site was strewn with propaganda banners in broken Hebrew. Hamas terrorists, dressed in stolen IDF uniforms and carrying Israeli weapons, orchestrated the spectacle, reinforcing the group's psychological warfare tactics.
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Hamas terrorists stand in front of the Red Cross convoy ahead of the handover of the hostages
(Photo: AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Dozens of Hamas and PIJ operatives were seen gathering at the site, which prominently displayed images of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem alongside Hamas footage of the October 7 attacks on Israeli communities and clashes with Israeli forces. One banner referenced U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed evacuation plan for Gaza, declaring: "No migration except to Jerusalem."
The location of the handover ceremony appears to have been carefully chosen to showcase the destruction in Khan Younis, allegedly just feet from the house of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in a clash with Israeli forces last October. Flags of Arab states that have opposed the displacement of Gazans have also been displayed at the site.
Troufanov, a 29-year-old from Tel Aviv, was kidnapped while visiting his parents Vitaliy and Yelena and grandmother Irena Tati with his girlfriend Sapir Cohen at Kibbutz Nir Oz. His mother, grandmother and girlfriend were freed in the November 2023 hostage exchange, but Sasha remained in captivity, held by PIJ.
Russia had been actively lobbying for Troufanov’s release, as he holds Russian citizenship, and Hamas had assured the Kremlin he would be freed.
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Hamas terrorists at site of hostage release in Khan Younis, Gaza
(Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed)
PIJ released a new video of Troufanov on Friday, purportedly showing him walking and fishing on a beach in Gaza. However, previous propaganda videos showed him pleading for food and water under clear signs of duress.
"A year that I have been here in captivity, a year in which there is a shortage of food and water, no electricity," Troufanov said in an earlier video. "Please, please, don’t forget about us. Go out and demonstrate."
Brothers Iair and Eitan Horn were both abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where Eitan had been visiting from Kfar Saba. Their mother, Ruthie Horn, has spent nearly 500 days awaiting news of their fate.
While Iair, 46, was released on Saturday, Eitan, 38, remains in captivity, as he is not included in the first phase of the release deal.
In the lead-up to the exchange, Ruthie said she tried to shut out the noise of the media: "I don't listen, I don't hear, it's not healthy. I just hope that this time things will happen. That Bibi [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] will fix what hasn't been done yet—and bring them all home."
As she prepares to reunite with Iair, she remains focused on the son still missing: "I'm waiting for both my children to be here," she said. "We've thought about what to bring him, what to do, but honestly, it's different for us—because I'm still waiting for both my boys."
Dekel-Chen, 36, from Nir Oz, was expected to experience a deeply emotional reunion—meeting his newborn daughter for the first time.
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During the attack on October 7, 2023, Sagui’s wife, Avital, was seven months pregnant. She hid in the safe room with their two daughters, Gali and Bar, while Sagui was abducted. Before being taken, he told his wife there was no way to survive, as no Israeli forces had arrived to defend the kibbutz.
In the 498 days since, Avital gave birth to their daughter, Shahar, who is now over a year old.
On Friday afternoon, Avital shared a post on social media featuring her and their daughters, playing together at home. "Updating everyone—Daddy is coming home," she wrote. In the video, their middle daughter, Gali, excitedly shouts, “Daddy!” when asked who is returning.
Dekel-Chen was known for walking barefoot and working in Columbus, a convenience store built into a bus. His daughter Bar recalled: "He’s really sweet and such a good dad. He always wears torn shirts and never wears shoes. I love going with him to the store because it’s fun there, and you can eat candy."
In exchange for Sagui, Sasha and Iair, Israel will release 369 Palestinian prisoners, including 36 convicted of crimes serious enough to have received life sentences.
Among those set for release: Ahmed Barghouti, former aide to the Fatah secretary-general in the West Bank; Mohammed Sharaia, a Palestinian Authority police officer who murdered Israeli officer Moshe Dayan in 2002; Mansour Muqada, who murdered Dr. Mordechai Shafir in 2001; and Samir Aite, who orchestrated a terrorist attack that killed Moran Amit in 2002.