International media reported the release of three Israeli hostages – Sagui Dekel Chen, Alexander Sasha Troufanov, and Iair Horn to highlight different aspects of the release on Saturday.
“Hamas released Israeli hostages Iair Horn, Sagui Dekel Chen and Alexander Sasha Troufanov in Gaza on Saturday and Israel freed some 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange,” Reuters reported.
France 24 highlighted the tension surrounding the release: “Hamas released three hostages on Saturday after briefly bringing them on stage to address an audience.”
The Telegraph in the UK underscored the distressing message Hamas conveyed to the families of those still held captive: “In a cruel stunt, Hamas handed Horn an hourglass with the images of remaining hostage Matan Zangauker and his mother, Einav. The inscription read: ‘Time is running out.'”
CNN described the tense lead-up to the exchange, noting that Hamas had threatened to halt further releases: “Three Israeli hostages have been freed from Gaza under a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas after a dispute this week threatened to derail the deal.”
The New York Times reported that the exchange is expected to help maintain the fragile truce: “Hamas released three more Israeli hostages. In return, Israel is expected to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The exchange will extend the fragile ceasefire that appeared on the verge of collapse earlier this week.”
The BBC emphasized the reciprocal nature of the agreement: “Israel releases Palestinian prisoners after Hamas freed Israeli hostages in Gaza.” NBC summarized the terms of the deal: “Israel-Hamas ceasefire: Three hostages released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians.”
Argentinian and Russian media report on Alexander and Iair
Argentina’s Clarín spotlighted Iair Horn’s personal story, noting his Argentine citizenship: “Hamas released Iair Horn, one of the Argentinians listed as a hostage. He is 46 years old and moved to Israel in 2000.” The outlet also noted that “his brother Eitan, however, is not on the list of those released.”
Russian media focused on the release of Alexander Sasha Troufanov, who holds Russian citizenship. Major Russian outlets, however, avoided labeling Hamas operatives as terrorists; TASS referred to them as “radical activists” and a “radical party.”
Kremlin spokespeople did not mention Israeli efforts to free Troufanov in their various statements. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova instead chose to thank the Kremlin’s partners in the Middle East, including Hamas.
“We are grateful to the Palestinian side, as well as our Qatari and Egyptian partners, for their assistance in the successful resolution of this matter,” she wrote.
Additionally, Zakharova said that the November 2023 release of hostages happened “unconditionally.”
“Thanks to the efforts of Russian diplomats, three Russian citizens—R. Krivoy, E. Trufanova, and I. Tatti—were also released in November 2023 during the so-called humanitarian pause,” she wrote in a Saturday statement. “It is worth noting that they were freed unconditionally, without any demands for reciprocal steps from the Israeli side.”
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