Israel and Hamas make 6th exchange, keeping ceasefire intact for now

JERUSALEM — Hamas freed three more Israeli hostages Saturday as Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners, prolonging a fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip that appeared to be teetering only days ago.

The hostages — Alexander Troufanov, 29, known as Sasha; Iair Horn, 46; and Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, one of the few Americans still held in Gaza — were noticeably thinner and paler after spending 16 months in captivity. They had been abducted from the Israeli border village of Nir Oz during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that ignited the war.

But they did not appear as emaciated as the three hostages released last Saturday, whose condition prompted outrage and horror in Israel.

Palestinian militants once again used the exchange, the sixth carried out under the first phase of the ceasefire, to stage a show intended to demonstrate that they still dominate Gaza, despite Israel’s devastating bombardment and ground invasion in response to the 2023 attack.

Dozens of gun-toting fighters affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad forced Troufanov, Horn and Dekel-Chen to mount a stage in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis and to give speeches in Hebrew, with portraits of Hamas leaders on the stage behind them.

On the stage, the militants also displayed photos of Matan Zangauker, an Israeli hostage still in captivity, and of his mother, Einav Zangauker, who has been campaigning for his freedom. They were shown alongside an hourglass and the words, “Time is running out.”

The militants, some carrying Israeli weapons, later gave the hourglass to Horn.

In a jab at President Donald Trump’s recent call for Palestinians to leave Gaza en masse, a banner on the stage read “there is no migration except to Jerusalem.” Hamas and much of the Arab world have roundly rejected Trump’s proposal.

The exchange could sustain the ceasefire, at least for now. But the truce’s long-term future remains uncertain. The arrangement, which began in late January, is set to expire in early March unless Israel and Hamas agree to an extension.

The first phase of the truce took months of arduous negotiation to be agreed upon, and there has been little indication that Israel and Hamas have begun serious talks about the next stage, which is supposed to include an end to the war, the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of the remaining living hostages. More than 70 hostages — many of them presumed dead — remain in Gaza.

As the hostages were released Saturday, hundreds of Israelis who had gathered in a square in Tel Aviv, Israel, cheered, waved Israeli flags and shed tears of joy while they watched the handover on a large television screen.

The relief was a big change from the shock and fury that erupted in Israel last Saturday when Hamas released three gaunt and apparently malnourished hostages and forced them to thank their captors. This time, the captors did not prod the hostages to offer them thanks.

“Three pieces have returned to my heart,” said Doron Zexer, a prominent advocate for the hostages. “The joy now is a full one.”

Viki Cohen, the mother of an Israeli soldier still held captive in Gaza, said in an interview that the happiness of seeing more hostages released was tempered by anguish and uncertainty.

“We are on a crazy roller-coaster,” Cohen said. Her son, Nimrod, is not among the hostages expected to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire. “We are doing everything in our power for him to return,” she said.

Palestinian prisoners who were released included 36 serving life sentences for attacks on Israelis. They also included more than 300 Gaza residents detained since the war broke out. Most such detainees have not been formally charged with any crime and were often held incommunicado for extended periods.

Israeli prison officials made them wear sweatshirts that bore a phrase in Arabic: “We shall neither forget nor forgive.”

Israeli prison officers had also tied menacing messages around some of the prisoners’ wrists.

“The eternal nation will not forget,” read one message, an Arabic adaptation of a well-known Hebrew phrase. “I pursue my enemies and seize them.”

Without naming parties, the International Committee of the Red Cross raised objections about how the hostage and detainee releases were being carried out. The Red Cross has been acting as a neutral intermediary in the ceasefire transfers.

“Despite repeatedly calling for all transfers to be carried out in a dignified and private manner, more must be done by all sides, including the mediators, to improve future transfers,” it said in a statement.

A few days ago, the ceasefire seemed at risk of crumbling when Hamas threatened to delay the hostage release. It accused Israel of violating the truce agreement, including by not sending sufficient tents and other aid into Gaza. Israel threatened to resume the war if Hamas did not relent. Trump escalated the threat, warning that all remaining hostages had to be freed by noon Saturday or “all hell is going to break out.”

By Friday, Israel and Hamas signaled that the dispute had been resolved for now.

And Trump on Saturday appeared to distance himself from his ultimatum, posting on social media that, “Israel will now have to decide” how to handle the deadline. “The United States will back the decision they make!” he wrote.

Israeli leaders had not decisively embraced Trump’s ultimatum and have indicated that they are willing to continue following the terms of the first phase of the ceasefire.

Israel and Hamas were supposed to start negotiations on the second part of the deal last week. But a lull in talks has prompted serious worries about the future of the multistage deal.

Reaching the second phase would likely require painful concessions by one side or both. Israel has vowed not to end the war until the end of Hamas’ rule in Gaza. For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, there could also be a political price: His right-wing governing coalition could shatter if he breaks that vow.

For its part, Hamas has mostly refused to give up control of Gaza and to send its leaders into exile. The group also worries that handing over the hostages, its most valuable bargaining chips, would remove its best insurance against a renewed Israeli invasion.

To sustain the ceasefire, either Israel or Hamas would most likely have to blink. For now, neither has done so, leaving the future of the truce up in the air.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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