After days of worry about an impending rebuild of the Gaza War, the release of three other Israeli hostages is expected today. The Islamist Hamas claims to hand over the two men Sagui Dekel-Schen (36) and Jair Horn (46), the smaller terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad the 29-year-old Alexander (Sascha) Trufanov. In return, Israel is said to release 369 Palestinians, according to Palestinian. There are 36, which had been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Israeli media assumed that it would keep the ceasefire. However, there is no clear confirmation from the government. After the Hamas announced a suspension of the hostage clearance at the beginning of the week, there was concern that the war could break again. Israel violates agreements and disabled aid deliveries, Hamas had justified its step. US President Donald Trump then ultimately called for the release of all hostages to this day. Otherwise the hell will break off. However, the decision about the consequences is ultimately with Israel, he said.
Does the ceasefire hold?
Actually, the last of the 76 Israeli hostages are only to come released in a second phase, which is not yet being negotiated. Israel warned that the war will become even tougher if the kidnapped people are not released. He did not know what would happen today, Trump said in the White House when asked by a journalist. “If it were up to me, I would take a very hard attitude.” However, the decision is with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “It depends on what Bibi will do. It depends on what Israel will do,” emphasized Trump.
Hamas had previously given in and, after placement talks in Egypt, announced that it was obliged to implement the ceasefire agreement with Israel. According to the agreement, three more hostages would be released today. Hamas also transmitted its names on time. They had been dragged into the Gaza strips when the Hamas and other extremists from Gaza attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 and thus triggered the war.
Islamists publish video by Gaza-Geisel
Shortly before his release announced today, the terrorist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad published a video of the Geisel Trufanov. The 29-year-old, who also has Russian citizenship, can be seen in sporting clothing. He goes by the sea, holds a fishing rod and eats something, throws a stone into the water and writes a letter. It looks healthy on the outside. However, it was not announced when the video was recorded, which should obviously suggest how well it was treated.
The three Israeli hostages released last Saturday, on the other hand, were in such a bad state of health that Trump raised his ultimate demand for the release of all hostages until today. The three pale, emaciated and visibly weakened men had been demonstrated by Hamas on a stage before handing over to the International Committee from the Red Cross (IKRK). Like Israeli politicians, Trump had said that they reminded him of survivors of the Holocaust.
US Secretary of State Rubio expected in Israel
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to participate in the Munich Security Conference in Israel. Other stations are Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. From the start of his trip, he called on the Arab states to his own proposals regarding the future of the Gaza Strip after Trump had caused unrest with his plan to relocate around two million residents to Arab states. According to Trump’s idea, the devastated Gaza Strip under control of the United States is to be transformed into a “Riviera of the Middle East”.
