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Hamas releases three hostages, including Russian citizen

Alexander Trufanov has been freed following diplomatic efforts by Moscow

Former Russian hostage Alexander Trufanov, during his transfer from Hamas captivity to the International Committee of the Red Cross, Israel. © Sputnik/Press Service of the Government of Israel

Former Russian hostage Alexander Trufanov, during his transfer from Hamas captivity to the International Committee of the Red Cross, Israel. © Sputnik/Press Service of the Government of Israel

Hamas has released three hostages, including a Russian national, as part of a ceasefire agreement with Israel. The men were identified as Sagui Dekel-Chen, a dual US-Israeli citizen; Aleksander Trufanov, a dual Russian-Israeli citizen, and Yair Horn, a dual Argentinian-Israeli citizen.

The hostages have been handed over to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) in Gaza and are returning to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment, the IDF said in a statement.

In January, President Vladimir Putin urged the Foreign Ministry and other relevant government agencies “to do everything” to secure the release of the Russian citizen held by Hamas. The next day, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov revealed that Hamas had assured Moscow of Trufanov’s imminent release.

The diplomat went on to say that Trufanov had been wounded during the hostage-taking and his condition was “not quite satisfactory.” He stressed however, that the Hamas leadership had given Russia a “firm promise” that Trufanov would be returned “alive and well.”

“Aleksander was placed on the list of hostages to be released at the first stage of the agreement between Israel and Hamas, rather than the second stage, at Russia’s request. According to the Palestinian leadership, this was done as a sign of respect for our country’s position in support of a just settlement of the Middle East conflict,”Russian Ambassador to Qatar Dmitry Dogadkin said.

Russia has maintained ties with Hamas and other Middle Eastern actors, positioning itself as a mediator in conflicts involving Israeli hostages. Moscow maintains that the two-state solution, namely the establishing of the State of Palestine alongside Israel, is the only way to settle the decades-long Middle East crisis.

Saturday’s exchange is the latest in a series of swaps under the current ceasefire, which began on January 19. To date, 21 hostages have been released by Hamas, with Israel freeing over 730 Palestinian prisoners in return. Another 73 hostages are still held in Gaza, with half of them believed to be dead.

The hostages, including Trufanov, were abducted during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed approximately 1,200 people. Some 250 people were taken hostage. In the past 15 months, nearly 47,000 people in Gaza have been killed, according to the enclave’s health authorities.

Trufanov was taken hostage with his grandmother Irena Tati, mother Elena and girlfriend Sapir Cohen. His father Vitaly Trufanov was killed in the attack. The women were released as part of the Hamas-Israel truce in November 2023.

The Trufanov family emigrated from the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don in the late 1990s. Prior to the kidnapping, Trufanov worked as an engineer at Annapurna Labs, an Israeli subsidiary of the technology giant Amazon. The e-commerce company had been repeatedly criticized for its silence regarding the capture of its employee by Hamas.

 

 

Author: Editors Desk

Source: RT

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