Hamas releases three hostages, including Russian citizen

Hamas has released three hostages, including a Russian national, as part of a ceasefire agreement with Israel. The men were identified as Sagui Dekel-Chen, a dual US-Israeli citizen; Aleksander Trufanov, a dual Russian-Israeli citizen, and Yair Horn, a dual Argentinian-Israeli citizen.

The hostages have been handed over to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) in Gaza and are returning to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment, the IDF said in a statement.

In January, President Vladimir Putin urged the Foreign Ministry and other relevant government agencies “to do everything” to secure the release of the Russian citizen held by Hamas. The next day, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov revealed that Hamas had assured Moscow of Trufanov’s imminent release.

The diplomat went on to say that Trufanov had been wounded during the hostage-taking and his condition was “not quite satisfactory.” He stressed however, that the Hamas leadership had given Russia a “firm promise” that Trufanov would be returned “alive and well.”