Hamas releases three Israeli hostages, over 300 Palestinian prisoners to be freed in return

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Three Israeli men who had been being held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since October 2023 have been released in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners.

At the time of writing, the Israeli captives were in Israeli custody after being transferred to the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip.

It's the latest sign that the delicate truce that was agreed upon between the two parties just last month is now at risk of falling apart at any moment.

The three Israelis being released are Iair Horn, 46, Sagui Dekel Chen, 36, and Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29. All of these blokes hold dual citizenship.

Horn was taken captive along with his brother Eitan, who is still being held by Hamas.

The most well-known of the 300 Palestinian prisoners due to be released is Ahmed Barghouti, 48, a key associate of high-profile Palestinian politician and militant leader Marwan Barghouti.

Almost all of the 73 remaining Israeli captives are men, including soldiers. Approximately half of them are thought to be deceased.

The two parties have had five exchanges since the truce started on 19 January, with 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners released so far during the initial stage of the ceasefire.

The conflict could escalate again if no deal is reached on the more complex second stage, which requires the release of all remaining hostages taken during the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 and an open-ended extension of the ceasefire.