Hamas has recently released three Israeli hostages in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners as part of an ongoing ceasefire deal between Israel and the militant group. The hostages freed on Saturday are American Israeli Chen 36 Argentinian-Israeli Yair Horn 46, and Russian Israeli Alexander 29. The release of these hostages is part of a broader agreement which has already seen the freedom of 19 hostages and over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners since the ceasefire began on January 19, 2025.

The exchange which took place in Khan Younis Gaza marked the sixth swap since the ceasefire deal began. After their release the Israeli hostages were airlifted to Israel for medical treatment and to reunite with their families. In return many of the Palestinian prisoners were either sent to Gaza or the West Bank where large crowds welcomed them. However some of the prisoners required medical attention due to chronic illnesses or injuries.

Israel is expected to continue working with the United States to secure the release of all hostages. The ceasefire and the prisoner exchanges are set to continue with more hostages and prisoners expected to be freed in the coming weeks. Despite tensions including accusations of violations from Hamas, the deal has so far resulted in the release of significant numbers of hostages and prisoners.

This ongoing agreement comes after Hamas’s attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 which killed over 1,200 people and resulted in the capture of many hostages. The conflict has led to significant casualties on both sides with Israel’s military actions in Gaza resulting in the deaths of more than 48,000 Palestinians according to local sources.