Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
Following the release of hostages Sagui Dekel-Chen, Iair Horn and Alexander "Sasha" Troufanov on Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office accused Hamas of attempting to derail the deal but said the group backed down due to military pressure and intervention from U.S. President Donald Trump.
"Once again, Hamas tried to create an artificial crisis and violate the agreement," Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. "Thanks to our forces inside and around Gaza, and thanks to the clear and unequivocal statement by President Trump, Hamas backed down, and the hostage release continued."
live
Footage of hostage being delivered to the Red Cross in Gaza
(Video: Reuters)
The statement reaffirmed Israel’s full coordination with the U.S. to ensure the return of all remaining hostages, both living and deceased, as quickly as possible.
"We welcome them with open arms," Netanyahu’s office added. "We have prepared for their return and, together with their families, will support their rehabilitation after their long and harrowing captivity."
Despite the successful release of the three hostages, uncertainty remains regarding the next phase of the cease-fire deal.
Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’ politburo, said Saturday that Israel has yet to begin negotiations on the second phase of the agreement, saying, "We seek to implement the deal in full."
Meanwhile, Netanyahu has avoided clarifying Israel’s position on the next stage of the deal, which includes the release of 369 Palestinian prisoners. His far-right coalition partners have increased pressure on him to reject further concessions, leading to contradictory and vague government statements throughout the week.
On Friday, Netanyahu’s office retracted and amended a statement regarding the list of hostages slated for release. Initially saying the list was "accepted by Israel," officials corrected the phrasing within 20 minutes to "received by Israel," later clarifying that it was "a factual description, not a policy statement."
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
President Isaac Herzog denounced Hamas’ handling of the hostage release, describing the public display of captives in Khan Younis as "despicable and cynical."
"Sagui, who holds Israeli and American citizenship, has yet to meet his daughter who was born after he was kidnapped... Israeli and Russian citizen, Sasha spent two birthdays in captivity in Gaza. His father was murdered, his mother, grandmother, and girlfriend were kidnapped and released in the previous deal... Iair, an Israeli with Argentinian citizenship, an avid soccer fan, and a beloved member of his community, returns while his younger brother Eitan is still held in captivity," Herzog wrote in an X post.
Herzog called for the completion of the hostage deal, labeling it a moral, humanitarian and Jewish obligation.
"Sagui, Sasha, Iair—we have waited for you so long! After the despicable and cynical ceremony you were forced to endure, we are happy that you are now being reunited with your families," he said. "Completing a hostage deal is a human, moral, and Jewish imperative. We will continue to do everything in our power to bring back all our sisters and brothers from captivity in Gaza—until the last one returns!"