Hamas militants escort Israeli-American hotsage Sagui Dekel-Chen on a stage earlier than handing him over to a Pink Cross staff in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on February 15, 2025, as a part of the sixth hostage-prisoner change. Agence France-Presse
JERUSALEM — By way of tears and tight embraces, freed Israeli-American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen on Saturday lastly realized the identify of his youngest daughter, born two months after he was kidnapped by Gaza militants in October 2023.
In footage revealed by the Israeli authorities, Dekel-Chen’s spouse Avital, shedding tears of pleasure as the 2 embraced after 16 months aside, informed him that the newborn woman was named Shahar Mazal, which might translate into “fortunate daybreak” in English.
“That’s good,” the 36-year-old responded, moments after he was introduced again to Israel.
READ: Freed Israeli hostage suffered ‘hardest blow’ studying spouse died
The couple reunited at a army base within the south, the place Sagui Dekel-Chen was introduced together with two different hostages — Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov, 29, and Israeli-Argentine Yair Horn, 46 — all freed on Saturday within the sixth hostage-prisoner change of the Gaza ceasefire.
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The three males had been seized from their properties in Nir Oz, a kibbutz neighborhood close to the Gaza border, throughout Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault that sparked the conflict.
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A press release from Dekel-Chen’s household, shared by the Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board marketing campaign group, stated: “Our Sagui is dwelling. A buddy, son, companion, and most significantly a father, has returned.”
After practically 500 days in captivity, “now he’s lastly on Israeli soil, with us,” it added.
READ: Israelis, Palestinians rejoice as extra hostages, prisoners freed
“Within the coming hours, he’ll start his rehabilitation course of, he’ll meet his daughters Gali and Bar, and for the primary time meet his little daughter, Shahar, who was born whereas he was in captivity.”
The assertion stated the household plans to maintain campaigning “till the final hostage returns dwelling”.
In return, Israel launched 369 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, most of them residents of the Gaza Strip detained throughout the conflict however a few of them serving life sentences for assaults towards Israelis.
Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov, 29, was greeted by his girlfriend and mom who threw themselves into his arms on the reception level. Later, he was anticipated to be reunited along with his grandmother.
All three girls had been kidnapped with him however have been launched in throughout a primary, week-long truce in November 2023.
In keeping with Israeli media, it was solely after his launch that Trupanov learnt of his father’s demise within the October 2023 assault.
Yair Horn was first reunited along with his brother Amos and his mom earlier than going to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv to see his father, who’s diabetic like him and had simply had a kidney transplant.
On the way in which, the helicopter transporting them flew over the stadium of Horn’s beloved Hapoel Beersheva Soccer Membership in southern Israel.
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He was carrying the membership’s crimson jersey when he arrived on the hospital, an AFP photographer reported. His brother Eitan Horn stays in captivity in Gaza.
