Overview

• The three released hostages, held in Gaza for nearly 500 days, include Sasha Trupanov, Yair Horn, and Sagi Dekel-Chen, all dual nationals.
• In return, Israel has freed 369 Palestinian prisoners, with some transported to Gaza and others to Ramallah in the West Bank.
• The release was nearly derailed by mutual accusations of ceasefire violations, with both Hamas and Israel threatening to escalate the conflict.
• The International Committee of the Red Cross facilitated the handover of the hostages, who are now undergoing medical evaluations in Israel.
• Negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire, which aims to secure the release of all remaining hostages and end the war, are expected to begin next week.