Hostages Alexandre Troufanov, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Yair Horn free from Gaza

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Images of Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, Israeli-Russian Alexandre (“Sasha”) Troufanov and Israeli-Argentinian Yair Horn, who were held in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, created Feb. 14, 2024. Credit: AFP via Getty Images.

Three Israeli men regained their freedom on Saturday, after 498 days of captivity in the Gaza Strip.

The hostages were handed over to representatives of the Red Cross at a staged event in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, shortly after 10 a.m., and to the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) at approximately 10:30, and were being escorted to Israeli territory for an initial medical examination.

Alexandre (“Sasha”) Troufanov, 29, who has dual Russian citizenship, had been held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, while American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, and Argentinian-Israeli Yair Horn, 46, were captives of Hamas.

In return, Israel is to release 369 terrorists later on Saturday—36 serving life sentences, most of who will go to the Gaza Strip or Egypt, and 333 terrorism suspects apprehended inside the Gaza Strip since the Hamas-led invasion of the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, 2023, according to figures from the Palestinian Authority Prisoners Ministry.

All three hostages were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Troufanov was abducted along with his mother, Yelena Trufanov; his grandmother Irena Tati; and his girlfriend, Sapir Cohen. His mother and grandmother were freed by Hamas on Nov. 29, 2023, at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Cohen was released as part of a ceasefire deal that same month. Troufanov’s father, Vitaly, was killed during the Oct. 7 massacre.

Sagui Dekel-Chen was also taken from Nir Oz during the terrorist invasion. His mother, Neomit, was taken captive along with neighbors in an electric cart that was headed toward Gaza when an Israeli Air Force helicopter shot at the terrorists and driver. Neomit was wounded and escaped. Dekel-Chen’s third daughter, Shachar, was born two months later.

Yair Horn’s brother Eitan, 38, who was visiting from Kfar Saba, was also kidnapped and is still in the Gaza Strip. 

Since the ceasefire entered into force on Jan. 19, 19 Israeli and five Thai hostages have been released in exchange for 566 Palestinian terrorists held in Israeli prisons. The latter figure is to rise to 935 later on Saturday.

During the first six weeks of the ceasefire, a total of 33 hostages are set to be freed in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinian terrorists held in Israel. Hamas says eight on the list of 33 captives have died inside the Gaza Strip.

Saturday’s exchange of hostages for terrorists was the sixth such round under Phase 1 of the ceasefire that took effect on Jan. 19 and is to end on March 1. Talks are ongoing on Phase 2 and 3.

The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Gazan terrorists killed around 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.

Seventy-three hostages remain inside the Strip, including 70 kidnapped on Oct. 7.

Liri Albag Celebrates 20th Birthday at Hospital With Other Hostages Released From Gaza

Shiryn Ghermezian

Liri Albag, center, standing from a balcony inside Israel’s Rabin Medical Center and watching an orchestra performance for her birthday alongside Agam Berger, Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, and Naama Levy. Photo:
American Friends of Rabin Medical Center

Liri Albag, who was recently released from captivity in Gaza as part of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, celebrated her 20th birthday on Tuesday with other former hostages at Rabin Medical Center’s Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah, Israel, where she is recovering after returning home 10 days earlier.

An orchestra came to the hospital to perform a small concert for Albag, who celebrated her previous birthday in Hamas captivity. The songs included Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and “Happy Birthday.” She watched from a balcony on one of the upper floors of the hospital alongside other freed hostages Agam Berger, Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, and Naama Levy. All five women were serving as surveillance soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces when they were kidnapped from an IDF base in Nahal Oz by Hamas-led terrorists during their deadly rampage in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Albag, Gilboa, Ariev, and Levy returned together after 15 months in Hamas captivity as part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Five days later, Berger was also released as part of the ceasefire deal.

Albag uploaded a post on Instagram about her birthday and wrote: “Today I get to celebrate my 20th birthday with my loved ones. The only wish I asked for — is for all the hostages to return.”
Her older sister, Roni Albag, shared a photo from the birthday celebrations on Instagram and wrote in the caption: “Our Lirosh, our number 1. I dreamed of this moment countless times and here you are. Today you celebrate your 20th birthday at home!!! Today you celebrate the life that was given to you again. You are our victory, our heart and the light of our home. I love you and am here for you forever and ever.”

Liri posted on social media on Friday for the first time since returning from captivity. In an Instagram post, she thanked the people of Israel for their “support, love, and help.” She said, “Together, we are strength.” She also thanked the IDF and members of Israel’s security forces “who sacrificed their souls and fought for us and our country! There isn’t a morning that I don’t pray for their safety.”

“Finally got to reunite with my family! But our fight isn’t over and I won’t stop fighting until everyone is home!” she added. “I want us to continue to stay united, because together nothing can break us. The unity and hope we have in us scares all our enemies, amazes all our lovers, and comforts the people among us. A sentence that used to accompany me was ‘at the end of every night, darkness disappears.’ And I wish that everyone can see the light.”

Seven surveillance soldiers were abducted from the Nahal Oz base on Oct. 7, 2023, including Noa Marciano, who was killed in Hamas captivity, and Ori Megidish, who was rescued by the IDF in October 2023.

Activist Supreme Court president voted in, sparking coalition fury

David Isaac

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Supreme Court Justice Isaac Amit hearing a petition in Jerusalem, April 23, 2023. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.

Israel’s Judicial Selection Committee on Sunday elected Justice Yitzhak Amit as president of the Supreme Court, after the position stood vacant for nearly 16 months.

Amit’s selection went ahead despite Justice Minister Yariv Levin‘s opposition, sparking outrage among right-wing lawmakers. Following the vote, Levin said he wouldn’t recognize the decision.

Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat of the Likud Party tweeted: “Shame. This is what a full legal coup looks like. The Supreme Court judges appointed a Supreme Court president on their behalf tonight, overriding the elected officials. A black day for Israeli democracy.”

Finance Minister Smotrich, chairman of the Religious Zionism Party, said: “The appointment was made in an improper and dictatorial procedure that drains the rest of the public trust in the institution of the Supreme Court. I call on Amit to withdraw and leave the position.”

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, also of Likud, said: “Everyone understood what the results of the corrupt, shady plan would be. The people will not put up with its oppression. We will dismantle and rebuild the Supreme Court and the prosecutor’s office from the ground up.”

Otzma Yehudit Party chairman Itamar Ben-Gvir tweeted: “The election of Justice Amit as president of the Supreme Court is an attack on democracy and public trust. A person over whom a cloud of [real estate] construction offenses hangs cannot serve in the highest position in the judicial system.

“This is contempt for the law and for the citizens of the country. The time has come for real reform of the judicial system, which will include replacing the attorney general and eliminating the monopoly on appointing judges,” he said, adding, “Who will judge the judges?”

Levin boycotted Sunday’s Judicial Selection Committee session, as did fellow coalition representatives on the committee, Settlements Minister Orit Strook (Religious Zionism) and MK Yitzhak Kreuzer (Otzma Yehudit).

The move came after the Supreme Court denied Levin’s request to postpone the vote due to alleged conflict of interest issues surrounding Amit.

On Jan. 13, it emerged that Amit had failed to disclose that he was involved in legal proceedings involving Tel Aviv real estate under a different name, which right-wing Israeli lawmakers said amounted to a conflict of interest. They called for an investigation.

In a letter Levin sent to Amit, he said: “I intend to continue doing everything in my power to ensure that the election of the president of the Supreme Court will take place only after the examination of all the above-mentioned outstanding claims are completed.”

Amit replied to Levin that he had no intention of dropping his candidacy for the presidency and viewed the allegations as an “organized defamation campaign … the whole purpose of which is to thwart my appointment as president of the Supreme Court and to damage the public’s trust in the judiciary.”

Amit was buttressed by opposition politicians, who praised his selection.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid, leader of the Yesh Atid Party, tweeted, “The election of Yitzhak Amit as president of the Supreme Court is a victory for democracy and good administration. Unnecessary delay has caused enormous damage to the rule of law in Israel.

“I call on Yariv Levin to stop his destructive games and work with the judge to strengthen and restore the legal system. We should be concerned with healing Israeli society, not unnecessary quarrels.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also welcomed Amit’s election.

“For decades and in various courts, Justice Amit has contributed greatly to the Israeli legal system, and I am confident that his many skills and rich experience will play a significant part in leading the Supreme Court and the judiciary with responsibility, discretion and dedication for the benefit of the State of Israel, and in the very important task of raising public confidence in the judicial system,” he said.

It took more than a year for Amit to replace Esther Hayut, the previous Supreme Court president, who retired in October 2023.

Levin had resisted convening the Judicial Selection Committee due to his opposition both to the seniority system, whereby the most veteran judge is automatically selected as president, and to Amit, who was the leading candidate under that system.

Israel’s High Court of Justice on Sept. 8 ordered Levin to convene the Judicial Selection Committee.

Levin blasted the ruling at the time, saying, “The order, in contradiction to the express [text of the] law and given in the face of a serious conflict of interest, constitutes a forceful takeover of the Judicial Selection Committee and the usurpation of the minister’s powers contrary to the law.”

Levin added that he wouldn’t work with a judge chosen without his cooperation and in what he considered to be an illegal manner.

“The president of the Supreme Court, who is appointed improperly and by force, brings to new depths the declining trust in the court,” he said. “I cannot work with a president who was appointed illegally by his associates, and who is illegitimate in the eyes of a vast public.”

IDF hits Hezbollah targets after terrorist drone sent into Israeli territory

JNS | update desk

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IAF F-35 stealth fighter aircraft fly in Israeli airspace. Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets attacked Hezbollah targets in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley overnight on Thursday after the Iranian-backed terrorist organization dispatched a surveillance drone over the Jewish state, the IDF said on Friday morning.

“The Hezbollah reconnaissance drone that made its way into Israeli territory yesterday and was intercepted by the Air Force constitutes a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the military stated, in reference to the Nov. 26 ceasefire agreement.

Thursday’s incident marked the first time since the truce went into effect that Hezbollah sent an unmanned aerial vehicle toward Israel.

“Overnight, under intelligence guidance from the Military Intelligence Directorate, IAF fighter jets attacked several targets of the Hezbollah terror group in the Bekaa region of Lebanon that posed a threat to the Israeli home front and IDF forces,” the IDF statement announced.

Among the targets was a site with tunnels where weapons were produced and developed, as well as terrorist infrastructure on the Lebanon-Syria border through which Hezbollah smuggled arms.

“The IDF continues to be committed to the understandings regarding the ceasefire in Lebanon and will not allow the execution of terrorist plots of this type,” warned the military. “The IDF is deployed in the Southern Lebanon region and will work to eliminate any threat.”

Under the ceasefire’s terms, the Israel Defense Forces is to gradually withdraw from Lebanon’s south as the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) troops take over responsibilities for ensuring that Hezbollah remains disarmed south of the Litani River.

However, concerns are growing in Jerusalem about whether the LAF can fulfill its obligation to clamp down on Hezbollah’s presence in the south, and the IDF remains engaged in frequent operations in the border area.

On Wednesday, an IAF craft hit an “engineering vehicle” in Southern Lebanon after Israeli forces spotted Hezbollah terrorists trying to rebuild infrastructure in the area in violation of the ceasefire.

Earlier this week, Israeli forces struck a vehicle carrying Hezbollah terrorists who posed an imminent threat, the army said on Tuesday.

The IDF stressed that troops were actively working to eliminate threats and dismantle Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in Southern Lebanon, in accordance with the deal between Jerusalem and Beirut that went into effect on Nov. 27 and was extended on Sunday until Feb. 18.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem declared on Monday that the terrorist organization rejects any attempt to justify Jerusalem’s delay.

On Jan. 24, the Israeli government announced that its pullout would take longer than the 60-day deadline set by the ceasefire agreement.

The withdrawal of Jerusalem’s ground forces remains “conditional on the Lebanese Armed Forces deploying in Southern Lebanon and fully and effectively enforcing the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws beyond the Litani,” declared the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.

“Since the ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully enforced by the State of Lebanon, the phased withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States,” the statement continued.

Israel “will not endanger its communities and citizens, and will insist on the full implementation of the objective of the fighting in the north, which is the safe return of residents [of the Galilee] to their homes,” it added.

Netanyahu condemns ‘unimaginable cruelty’ of Hamas after hostages mobbed

Canaan Lidor

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Israeli civilian hostage Arbel Yehud surrounded by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists before being handed over to a Red Cross team in southern Gaza, Jan. 30, 2025. Credit: Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday condemned the crowds of Gazans that mobbed three Israeli hostages as they were being released by Hamas.

“I view the shocking scenes during the release of our hostages as very serious,” wrote Netanyahu after the release of Arbel Yehud, Gadi Mozes, Agam Berger and five Thai citizens, all of whom were abducted to Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.

“This is further proof of the unimaginable cruelty of the Hamas terrorist organization. I demand that the mediators ensure that such horrific scenes do not recur, and guarantee the safety of our hostages. Those who dare harm our hostages do so at their own peril,” Netanyahu wrote.

Footage from the release shows massive crowds, apparently in a state of jubilation, swarming around cars transporting the hostages and around the Hamas terrorists escorting the Israelis from the vehicles.

Otzma Yehudit Party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir, a critic of the ceasefire deal who recently took his party out of the government because of it, called the display a “horror” scene demonstrating that “this is not a total victory but a total failure, in a reckless deal like no other.

The government, he continued, “could have withheld humanitarian aid, fuel, electricity and water from the bloodthirsty mob that is now trying to lynch our hostages and crushed them militarily.”

Israel has agreed to release 110 terrorists in exchange for the latest group of hostages, including Zakaria Zubeidi, Mohammad Abu Warda and Sami Jaradat, according to Channel 12.

Zubeidi led Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the Samaria city of Jenin and briefly escaped from Israel’s high-security Gilboa Prison in September 2021. Since Zubeidi was not convicted of murder but of other terror offenses, he will not be deported and is expected to be released back to Samaria.

The deal that Hamas and Israel initiated on Jan. 19 was for the release of more than 90  hostages for close to 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Israel has agreed to redeploy in the Gaza Strip and allow the repopulation of the area’s north.

The first phase of the deal involves the release of 33 hostages in exchange for more than 700 Palestinian prisoners and more than 1,000 detainees over a 42-day period. Of the 33 Israel hostages on the first phase list, 10 have returned so far.