Khan Yunis - February 15, 2025 The Palestinian militant groups on Saturday released three more Israeli hostages held in Gaza, while Israeli authorities freed 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange. The freed Israeli hostages are Alexandre Sasha Troufanov, a 29-year-old Israeli-Russian citizen; Sagui Dekel-Chen, a 36-year-old Israeli-American citizen; and Iair Horn, a 46-year-old Israeli-Argentine citizen. They were kidnapped during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023. Troufanov was kidnapped along with his mother, grandmother, and partner, and the three women were released in a previous hostage deal in November 2023. His father was killed on the day of the kidnapping. Dekel-Chen, a father of three, had a daughter born after his abduction. Horn's brother, Eitan, remains in captivity in Gaza. Shortly after they arrived in Israel, the first bus carrying freed Palestinian prisoners and detainees departed Israel's Ofer jail in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Among the Palestinians released Saturday were 36 serving life sentences and 333 detainees arrested by Israel from the Gaza Strip following the Oct 7 attack. One of the most prominent prisoners freed was Ahmed Barghouti, 48, a close aide to Marwan Barghouti, a leader of the First and Second Intifadas. This was the sixth such exchange following days of tense negotiations that threatened to undo the precarious ceasefire. Hamas had initially intended to delay the scheduled hostage release, citing Israeli violations of the agreement. In response, Israel threatened to resume its onslaught on Gaza if hostages were not released by Saturday noon. On Thursday, Hamas said it would move ahead with the release of more hostages after talks with Egyptian and Qatari officials. The group said the mediators had pledged to "remove all hurdles" to ensure Israel would allow more tents, medical supplies and other essentials into Gaza. Under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, effective since Jan 19 and spanning six weeks, 33 Israeli hostages are expected to be released in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians. So far, 19 Israeli hostages, along with five Thais, have been released from Gaza, while Israeli authorities have released over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. In a statement immediately after the handover, Hamas described the release of the hostages as "a confirmation that there is no way to release them except through negotiations and by adhering to the requirements of the ceasefire agreement." The office of the Israeli prime minister said in a statement that Hamas had backed down and the hostage release continued "thanks to the concentration of our forces in and around the Gaza Strip, and thanks to the clear and unequivocal statement of U.S. President Donald Trump." Trump warned on Monday that if the hostages in Gaza were not freed by noon on Saturday, the truce would be called off, and he would "let hell break out." On Saturday, after both sides of the conflict completed the exchange of a new batch of detainees, many Gaza residents are pleased with the ceasefire agreement continuing to be implemented. "When I heard that the ceasefire agreement might be torn up, I felt very scared. That would plunge us back into a life of displacement. Fortunately, it didn't happen," a resident said. Residents eagerly anticipate all parties pushing forward the negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement. "The continuation of the ceasefire agreement is crucial to us because we never want to see war and airstrikes happen again. We only hope to be able to continue living a normal life," said another. SHOTLIST: Khan Younis, Gaza Strip - Feb 15, 2025 2. Various of Red Cross vehicles moving; 3. Various of Hamas representative, official from International Committee of Red Cross signing documents for hostage release; 4. Various of Israeli hostages speaking; walking towards vehicles; 5. Various of vehicles driving away; 6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) resident (name not given): "When I heard that the ceasefire agreement might be torn up, I felt very scared. That would plunge us back into a life of displacement. Fortunately, it didn't happen."; 7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) resident (name not given) (ending with shot 8): "The continuation of the ceasefire agreement is crucial to us because we never want to see war and airstrikes happen again. We only hope to be able to continue living a normal life."; 8. Various of people, flag of Palestine. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]