Hamas frees 3 hostages, Israel releases hundreds of prisoners as fragile ceasefire holds
Exchange takes place following nearly 500 days in captivity for the hostages
Hamas militants released three male Israeli hostages on Saturday and Israeli forces began releasing hundreds of prisoners in return after Egyptian and Qatari mediators helped avert a standoff that threatened to sink a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.
Israeli hostages Iair Horn, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Sasha Troufanov arrived at a release site and were led onto a stage with men armed with automatic rifles standing on each side of them in Khan Younis, live footage showed.
Dekel-Chen, a 36-year-old American Israeli, Troufanov, a 29-year-old Russian Israeli, and Horn, a 46-year-old Argentinian Israeli whose brother Eitan was also abducted, were seized in Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities around the Gaza Strip that was overrun by Hamas gunmen on Oct. 7, 2023.
Dozens of armed militants were deployed at the site of the release.
Some Hamas fighters at the site were carrying rifles seized from the Israeli military during the Oct. 7 attack, Hamas sources said.
Troufanov was kidnapped with his mother, grandmother and girlfriend, all of whom were released in the brief November 2023 truce. His father was killed in the attack on Nir Oz, one of the worst hit communities, where one in four people either died or were taken hostage.
Hamas had earlier threatened not to release more hostages after it accused Israel of violating the terms of the ceasefire by blocking aid from entering Gaza, drawing counterthreats of a resumption of fighting from Israel, which called up reservists and placed its forces on high alert.
The emaciated appearance of three hostages released last week and accounts of abuse by other hostages released since Jan. 19 when the ceasefire took effect has set off Israeli protests demanding that the government stick to the ceasefire and proceed with the next stage of the deal to bring all the hostages home.
In an apparent effort to head off some of the criticism of hostage mistreatment, Islamic Jihad, the militant group that is allied with Hamas and was holding Troufanov, released a video of him on Friday, showing him eating and fishing at the Gaza beach.
In return for the hostages' release, Israel began releasing 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including 36 serving life sentences over deadly attacks.
A bus carrying the first released prisoners arrived in the occupied West Bank town of Beitunia and was greeted by a cheering crowd of relatives and supporters. Some appeared gaunt, and the Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said four were immediately taken for medical treatment.
It's hoped the swap will ease fears that the exchange agreement could collapse before the end of a 42-day ceasefire.
Prospects for the ceasefire surviving have also been clouded by U.S. President Donald Trump's call for Palestinians to be moved permanently out of Gaza, and for the enclave to be turned over to the United States to be redeveloped. That call was strongly rejected by Palestinian groups, Arab states and Western allies.
"Trump's threats don't scare us and we won't listen to him," said Umm Muhammad Abu Al-Rus, 46, who watched the handover in Khan Younis.
"We will stay on our land and in our homes in Gaza and we will never leave, no matter what happens," he told CBC freelance videographer Mohamed El Saife.
Haitham Al-Batniji, another Palestinian marking his freedom in Khan Younis, said he was moved several times while in custody, and at one facility, "saw all the world black."
"We were handcuffed and blindfolded for 100 days," with no breaks for eating and sleeping, he told CBC News.
Hamas agreed last month to hand over 33 Israeli hostages, including women, children and sick, wounded and older men, in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, during a six-week truce during which Israeli forces would pull back from some of their positions in Gaza.
Before Saturday, 16 of the 33 Israeli hostages had been returned, along with five Thais who were handed over in an unscheduled release. That left 76 hostages still in Gaza, only around half of whom are thought to be alive.
The truce was intended to open the way for a second phase of negotiations to return remaining hostages and complete the withdrawal of Israeli forces before a final end to the war and the rebuilding of Gaza, which now lies largely in ruins, facing shortages of food, running water and electricity.
Hamas's threat to hold off from releasing more hostages followed its accusation that Israel had blocked tents and temporary shelter materials from entering into Gaza, leaving tens of thousands exposed to the winter cold.
Israel rejected the accusation, saying it had allowed thousands of aid trucks in, and accusing Hamas in its turn of reneging on the agreement. Hamas on Saturday said it expects Israel to meet its aid obligations for the ceasefire to stay on track.
International aid groups say that more truckloads of aid have been entering Gaza since the start of the ceasefire but aid officials say the amounts are insufficient to meet the needs of the population.
Israel invaded the coastal enclave after the Hamas-led attack on communities in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and taking 251 as hostages.
The Israeli military campaign that followed has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Palestinian health ministry figures, destroyed many of its buildings and left most of the population homeless.
With files from CBC News and The Associated Press