Hamas frees 3 hostages, Israel releases hundreds of prisoners as fragile ceasefire holds

Hamas-led militants have released three male Israeli hostages, and Israeli forces began releasing hundreds of prisoners in return, in the latest indication that the fragile ceasefire deal that has paused fighting in the Gaza Strip but that had teetered in recent days, is holding. The three — Iair Horn, Sagui Dekel Chen and Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov — had been abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a hard-hit community in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war. Israel is expected to release 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including 36 serving life sentences over deadly attacks.