Israel announces identity of three Hamas hostages set to be released today

Israel's Prime Minister's Office said on Friday that it had received the names of three male hostages - Sagui Dekel Chen, Sasha Troufanov and Iair Horn set to be released by Hamas on Saturday, as part of the sixth hostage prisoner exchange under the ongoing ceasefire agreement with Hamas, The Times of Israel reported.

Hamas informed Israel regarding the identity of three hostages slated to be released through Egyptian and Qatari mediators, having backed down from its threat on Thursday to delay the next release of captives. Earlier this week, Hamas accused Israel of failing to meet its aid obligations under the ceasefire agreement. Israel denied the accusation and threatened to resume war with Hamas.

In a statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said, "We must reach a comprehensive and immediate agreement, without gaps or delays, to return all hostages -- the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for proper burial."

In recent days, Israel seemed to back US President Donald Trump's demand that all hostages be released immediately instead of just the three set for the next release, but was vague on the issue, The Times of Israel reported.

Israel was reportedly pushing for the release of more hostages in the coming days. However, a senior Arab official told The Times of Israel that it was unlikely that Hamas would deviate from the original timeframe of the truce deal.

The hostages, who are expected to be released on Saturday, were all kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. The timing of the release had not been confirmed as of Friday afternoon.

The three hostages released by Hamas - Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami on February 8, looked pale and were suffering from serious health issues.

Russian-Israeli citizen Sasha Troufanov (29), who is set to be released on Saturday, was taken hostage along with three members of his family -- grandmother Irena Tati, mother Yelena (Lena) and his girlfriend Sapir Cohen from their home in the Gaza border community. His father Vitaly Troufanov was killed during the Hamas attack.

The three women were released by Hamas in November 2023 as part of a weeklong ceasefire agreement. Russia had pushed for the release of Troufanov multiple times since his kidnapping, including since the ceasefire announced in January.

US-Israeli citizen Sagui Dekel Chen (36) saw Hamas terrorists entering Nir Oz and was among the first to raise the alarm. According to Chen's father Jonathan Dekel-Chen, he was last heard at 9:30 am (local time) on October 7, 2023.

Argentinian-Israel citizen Horn (46) was kidnapped from his home on October 7, 2023, as Hamas terrorists entered the kibbutz, killing or kidnapping a quarter of the southern community's residents.

In recent weeks, Hamas has released 16 Israelis and five Thai hostages under the ceasefire agreement, which also requires Israel to release some 2,000 Palestinian security prisoners, including hundreds of terrorists serving life sentences and prison terms for attacks, The Times of Israel reported.

As many as 73 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

Prior to the ongoing ceasefire that came into effect in January, Hamas released 105 hostages during a weeklong truce in November 2023 and four hostages were released before that. Israeli troops rescued eight hostages alive and the bodies of 40 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they attempted to escape their captors.

Two Israeli citizens who entered the Gaza Strip in 2014 and 2015 have also been held captive by Hamas, the report said. In addition, Hamas is holding the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014. Another IDF soldier's body, who was also killed in 2014, was recovered from Gaza in January.