Horn was abducted along with his brother, Eitan Horn, who had been staying with him at the time. Eitan remains in captivity.
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Dekel Chen had been working outside when militants stormed the kibbutz. His wife hid in a safe room with their two daughters. She gave birth to their third daughter two months later.
Troufanov was taken hostage along with his grandmother, mother and girlfriend. The three women were released during a brief ceasefire in November 2023. Troufanov’s father was killed during the attack.
Among the most prominent Palestinian prisoners on the list for release was Ahmed Barghouti, 48, a close aide of Marwan Barghouti, an iconic Palestinian political figure.
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Israel sentenced Ahmed Barghouti to life on charges that he dispatched suicide bombers during the Second Intifada, or Palestinian uprising, in the early 2000s to carry out attacks that killed Israeli civilians. He was arrested alongside Marwan Barghouti in 2002.
The truce remains very fragile
The ceasefire has appeared dangerously close to collapse in recent days.
Hamas had said it would delay the release of the hostages after accusing Israel of not adhering to their agreement by not allowing into Gaza enough shelters, medical supplies, fuel and heavy equipment for clearing rubble. Israel said it would resume fighting on Saturday unless hostages were freed.
While the immediate crisis may have been averted, the truce faces a much bigger challenge with the deal’s first phase set to conclude in early March. There have not yet been substantive negotiations over the second phase, in which Hamas would release all remaining hostages in return for an end to the war.
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At its height, the fighting displaced 90 per cent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million. Hundreds of thousands have since returned to their homes as the ceasefire took hold, though many found only rubble, buried human remains and unexploded ordnance.
The war has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
Trump’s proposal to force Palestinians out of Gaza and settle them elsewhere in the region has thrown a cloud over the truce.
The idea was welcomed by Israel’s government, but strongly rejected by Palestinians and Arab countries. Human rights groups say it could amount to a war crime under international law.
Trump has proposed Israel transferring control of Gaza to the United States, which would then redevelop it as the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
AP, Reuters
