International-News

Who are the three Israeli hostages released from Gaza, all with dual citizenship

The three hostages released today, who were kidnapped on 7 October from the Nir Oz kibbutz, have dual citizenship and have lived stories marked by violence

Three hostages were released today by Hamas, all from the Nir Oz kibbutz and linked to dual citizenships. Their stories, marked by grief and hope, recount the drama of the kidnappings on 7 October 2023, during which Hamas militiamen targeted the area.

Sagui Dekel-Chen was among the first to raise the alarm when terrorists entered the kibbutz. With dual Israeli-American citizenship, his family experienced moments of anguish: the last time he was heard, at 9.30am on 7 October, he was in contact with his father, Jonathan Dekel-Chen, a lecturer at Hebrew University. His mother, Neomit, had been captured, but saved in extremis by an IDF operation.

Alexander Sasha Trufanov, with Israeli and Russian citizenship, had been abducted together with his family members, including his grandmother and mother. His father, Vitaly, had been killed in the attack. His family had been released in the previous weeks thanks to diplomatic efforts, including an intercession by Vladimir Putin, but Sasha remained a prisoner until today.

Yair Horn, with dual Israeli and Argentinian citizenship, was kidnapped from his home in Nir Oz on the same day, 7 October. Although his brother, Eitan, was also taken hostage, he was not included in the list of 33 hostages to be released in this first phase of the agreement. The father, Itzik Horn, had appealed to Pope Francis to intervene to speed up the release of his sons.

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