Three Israeli hostages, Iair Horn, Sagui Dekel-Chen, and Sasha Troufanov, were released by Hamas in Khan Younis on Saturday.
The hostages emerged from a white van, escorted by armed militants, before being brought onto a stage in front of a crowd.
As part of the orchestrated release, the three were handed “release certificates” and other symbolic items, including an embroidered map representing the claimed borders of Palestine.
Horn was also given an hourglass bearing the images of hostage Matan Zangauker and his mother Einav, a prominent activist advocating for the release of captives.
The hourglass bore the inscription “Time is running out,” though Zangauker was not included in the current phase of the deal.
The public display of the hostages follows a pattern seen in previous releases, with captives expected to participate in staged interactions before being transferred to Israeli authorities.
At the homes of the released hostages, relatives and supporters erupted in celebration upon seeing their loved ones freed after months of captivity.
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