DayofPal- Hamas armed wing Al-Qassam bridges along with other Palestinian resistance bridges in Gaza handed over on Saturday morning three more Israeli captives to the International Red Cross as part of the sixth batch of the ongoing prisoner exchange under the ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli captives were American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, Russian-Israeli Alexandre Troufanov, and Argentinian-Israeli Yair Horn, who were released in exchange for the release of 369 Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons.
Earlier, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, confirmed Troufanov’s release, while Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, also acknowledged the handover of the three captives.
The transfer took place in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, near the home of the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The scene was heavily guarded by fighters from both the Qassam and Al-Quds Brigades, fully equipped with military gear.
Al-Qassam fighters from the elite unite appeared wearing Israeli military uniforms and holding Fighters appear with elite’s army Tavor rifles, which they sized during October 7 Flood Operation.
The prisoner handover stage was well prepared in Khan Yunis, adorned with resilience slogans like “No Migration except to Jerusalem,” “We crossed over swiftly,” and “Oh Jerusalem, bear witness we are your soldiers.”
Correspondent of the Israeli Army Radio said that Hamas has already begun preparations for the release of Israeli captives, setting up a stage adorned with banners carrying powerful messages.
The Israeli media read slogan “No migration except to Jerusalem” as a direct response from Hamas to Trump’s displacement plan.
Slogan “O Jerusalem, we are your soldiers” was seen as a declaration reinforcing Hamas’s commitment to liberate the holy city.
Another striking banner referenced the events of October 7, reading: “We crossed over swiftly,” accompanied by images of the kibbutzim in the Gaza surroundings, which were invaded by Al-Qassam fighters during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation.
A source in Qassam Brigades also told Al Jazeera that the movement gave Sagui Dekel-Chen, one of today’s released captives, a gold coin as a gift for his daughter, who was born four months after he was captured.
The three Israeli captives were all moved to the handover stage via a vehicle seized by Al-Qassam fighters on October 7.
Beside slogans rejecting Trump’s ethnic cleansing proposal for Gaza, another phrase “Time is running out” was written beside a photo for Israeli captives, a mother and her son, signaling that Netanyahu should abide by and move on with the next phases of the deal in order for his captives to be released.
In the video broadcasted by Al Jazeera today, Al-Qassam fighter appears handing over an Israeli captive with an hourglass, bearing the same message to the Israeli government.
Upon their release, the three Israeli captives released today from Khan Yunis sent a message to their government. Sagui Dekel-Chen said “I urge the Israeli government to do everything possible to keep the deal going.”
Yair Horn added, “All prisoners must be brought home—time is running out,” while Sasha Alexander Trubnov said “We must not forget the other captives; their time is slipping away.”
Now that Israel said it has just received its captives, preparations are underway for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
The sixth batch of the prisoner exchange deal involves the release of 369 Palestinian detainees, including 36 Palestinians serving life sentences. Among them, 29 are from the West Bank, 7 from Jerusalem, and 24 are set to be exiled. Additionally, 333 detainees are from Gaza.
This sixth swap is deemed the largest so far in the current deal, representing a significant step forward in the ongoing negotiations and reflects the continued efforts to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners under the ceasefire agreement.
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