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Three Israeli Hostages Freed in Gaza, Israel Releases 369 Palestinians in Exchange
US-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen and Russian-Israeli Sasha (Alexander) Troufanov, hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, are escorted by Palestinian Hamas terrorists and Islamic Jihad terrorists as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, February 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Hamas released Israeli hostages Iair Horn, Sagui Dekel Chen and Sasha (Alexander) Troufanov in Gaza on Saturday and Israel freed some 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange, after mediators helped avert a collapse of the fragile ceasefire.
The three Israelis were led onto a stage with Palestinian Hamas militants armed with automatic rifles standing on each side of them at the site in Khan Younis, live footage showed, before they were taken back into Israel by Israeli forces.
Shortly afterwards, buses carrying freed Palestinian prisoners and detainees departed Israel’s Ofer jail in the West Bank. The first bus arrived in Ramallah to a cheering crowd, some waving Palestinian flags.
“We didn’t expect to be freed, but God is great, God set us free,” said Musa Nawarwa, 70, from the West Bank town of Bethlehem, who was serving two life terms for killings of Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.
Buses carrying some of the hundreds of Palestinian freed prisoners and detainees, some flashing victory signs as they hung from the windows, arrived later at the European Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Some of the Palestinians were serving long prison terms for involvement in suicide bombings and other attacks that killed dozens of Israelis during the second Palestinian uprising in 2000. Others were jailed for killing Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank.
Some, like Hassan Ewis, will be allowed to return to their homes. Others, such as his brother, are expected to be deported to Egypt.
Ewis’ charge sheet in the Israeli Justice Ministry records include the planting of explosives and attempted murder and intentional homicide.
Some of the Israeli hostages who have returned since January 19 have reported being deprived of food, held in tunnels for months and not seeing daylight, and being subjected to physical and psychological abuse.
Some freed Palestinians are returning to an enclave they have not seen for years, before it was blasted into rubble by Israeli airstrikes and shelling in 15 months of war. But most were rounded up after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
‘NOW WE CAN BREATHE A LITTLE’
The ceasefire’s second phase is meant to usher in negotiations to return the remaining living hostages among the 251 seized that day, and complete an Israeli military withdrawal before a final end to the war and the reconstruction of Gaza.
Argentina-born Iair Horn, 46, was taken captive together with his younger brother Eitan. Horn appeared to have lost considerable weight in captivity.
“Now, we can breathe a little. Our Iair is home after surviving hell in Gaza. Now, we need to bring Eitan back so our family can truly breathe,” Horn’s family said in a statement.
The swap of the three Israelis for the 369 Palestinians allayed growing alarm that the ceasefire agreement could unravel before the end of the 42-day first stage of the truce pact in effect since January 19.
In what has become known as Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, people broke into cheers and tears after hearing the Red Cross was on its way to deliver the three to Israeli military forces.
Dekel Chen, a U.S.-Israeli, Troufanov, a Russian Israeli, and Horn along with his brother Eitan were seized in Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities near Gaza’s border that were overrun by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023.
On the handover stage in Khan Younis, the hostages were made to give short statements in Hebrew and terrorists presented Horn with an hourglass and photo of another Israeli hostage still in Gaza and his mother, reading “time is running out (for the hostages still in Gaza)”.
Troufanov was abducted with his mother, grandmother and girlfriend – all of whom were released during a brief November 2023 pause in hostilities. His father was killed in the attack on Nir Oz, one of the worst-hit communities, where one in four people either died or were taken hostage.
On October 7, Dekel Chen, 36, left his pregnant wife and two little daughters in the family safe room to go out and fight gunmen rampaging through the kibbutz.
He embraced his tearful wife Avital tightly and said “perfect” with a big smile when she told him the name of their baby daughter, who he has not yet seen, was Shahar Mazal, Hebrew for “dawn” and “luck,” in a video released by the military.
Nineteen Israeli and five Thai hostages have been released so far, with 73 still in captivity, around half of whom have been declared dead in absentia by Israeli authorities.
Prospects for the ceasefire surviving have been shaken by US President Donald Trump’s call for Palestinians to be resettled permanently out of Gaza, and for the tiny enclave to be turned over to the US to be redeveloped as a seaside resort. That idea has been rejected out of hand by Palestinian groups, Arab states and Western allies of Washington.
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Iranian FM Meets Hezbollah Leader in Beirut as Tehran Tries to Ramp Up Support for Weakened Terror Proxy
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi lays a wreath as he visits the burial site of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem in Beirut on Wednesday, as Tehran moves to bolster its weakened terror proxy and maintain its presence in Lebanon.
During their meeting, Qassem expressed gratitude to the Islamist regime in Iran for its regional influence and “steadfast support of Palestinian resistance factions.”
According to local media, he also emphasized his commitment to Lebanon’s “progress, stability, sovereignty, and the expulsion of occupation from its territory.”
The Iranian-backed terrorist group has been struggling to maintain its political grip in Lebanon as it continues to reel from the devastating consequences of its war with Israel — a conflict that erupted after Hezbollah expressed “solidarity” with Hamas following the Palestinian terrorist group’s invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
As part of his trip to Beirut, Araghchi also met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri — a key Hezbollah ally.
During those meetings, the top Iranian diplomat stressed the importance of bilateral relations between the two countries and reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to providing economic, political, and social support through enhanced cooperation.
“I expressed my full support for Lebanon’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and reconstruction in light of Israel’s occupation,” Araghchi wrote in a post on X. “Our goal and hope is to open a new chapter in our centuries-old relationship, built on mutual respect and shared interests.”
سررتُ بالعودة إلى بيروت الجميلة. خلال اجتماعاتي مع الرئيس، ورئيس مجلس النواب، ورئيس الوزراء، ووزير الخارجية، أعربتُ عن دعمي الكامل لاستقلال لبنان وسيادته وسلامة أراضيه وإعادة إعماره في ظل الاحتلال الإسرائيلي.
هدفنا وآملنا هو فتح صفحة جديدة في علاقتنا الممتدة لقرون، والمبنية على… pic.twitter.com/Gnv2sQeNaA
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) June 4, 2025
For his part, Aoun emphasized the importance of dialogue in “resolving differences” and highlighted post-war reconstruction as a top priority for his government.
According to local media, Araghchi also said that Iranian companies are prepared to contribute to the country’s post-war reconstruction efforts.
Since Lebanon’s US-backed army commander took office earlier this year and a new cabinet with reduced influence for Hezbollah was established, the terrorist group has faced mounting calls for disarmament as the new government seeks to assert full control over the country’s territory.
In November, Lebanon and Israel reached a US-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended a year of fighting between the Jewish state and Hezbollah. Under the agreement, Israel was given 60 days to withdraw from Lebanon’s southern border, allowing the Lebanese army and UN forces to take over security as Hezbollah disarms and moves away from Israel’s northern border.
Although Jerusalem has withdrawn most of its ground forces since the war ended, Israeli officials have said it will retain control of five strategic positions in the south of the country until the Lebanese army demonstrates it can maintain security there.
Last fall, Israel decimated much of Hezbollah’s leadership and military capabilities with an air and ground offensive, which ended with the ceasefire.
Tens of thousands of residents in northern Israel were forced to evacuate their homes last year due to relentless attacks from Hezbollah, which expressed solidarity with Hamas amid the Gaza war.
Last month, the Lebanese government and the Palestinian Authority reached an agreement to disarm all 12 Palestinian refugee camps across Lebanon. Both leaders pledged that Palestinian factions would refrain from using Lebanese territory as a launchpad for attacks against Israel and that all weapons would be placed under government control.
The post Iranian FM Meets Hezbollah Leader in Beirut as Tehran Tries to Ramp Up Support for Weakened Terror Proxy first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Former MLB All-Star Accuses Ocasio-Cortez of ‘Virtue Signaling,’ Weak Reaction to Colorado Antisemitic Attack
Law enforcement officers work at the scene, after an attack that injured multiple people in Boulder, Colorado, US, June 1, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt
Former Major League Baseball player and World Series champion Kevin Youkilis lambasted US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Tuesday for her reaction to the violent antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday night.
On Monday, Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a post on X she was “horrified” by the attack in which a dozen people were injured at an event organized to raise awareness for the hostages abducted from Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and still held by the US-designated terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip. The firebombing took place on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot.
“My heart is with the victims and our Jewish communities across the country,” the lawmaker wrote in her post on X. “Antisemitism is on the rise here at home, and we have a moral responsibility to confront and stop it everywhere it exists.”
Youkilis — a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, who formerly played for the Boston Red Sox — responded to Ocasio-Cortez’s post by accusing her of ignoring those who are calling for “intifadas” — a reference to periods of rampant Palestinian terrorism targeting Israelis — in her district and throughout New York City.
“Jews are targeted with violence and it’s the same virtue signal post time and time again,” he posted on X. “What have you done to confront those calling for intifadas in NYC? Until you create a plan of action, your repeated virtue signaling after the violence occurs holds no weight.”
In the comments section on his post, Youkilis said Ocasio-Cortez should “confront the radical mobs chanting for intifadas in NYC.” Youkilis added: “That would be brave leadership, but we know politicians, on both sides of the aisle, shy away in fear of losing votes and power.”
“Prove me wrong and show what she has done to combat antisemitism in her district?” he later said in response to one user on X who attempted to defend the lawmaker. “You have no response because there has been zero action.”
Egyptian national Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, has been charged by US authorities with throwing Molotov cocktails and using a flamethrower to target those who attended the pro-Israel event on Sunday night. Among those injured in the attack were two elderly people who were hospitalized with severe burns. Soliman, who lives in Colorado Springs, told investigators that he wanted to “kill all Zionist people,” according to court documents. He was charged with attempted murder, assault, and a federal hate crime. Federal authorities said Soliman was in the country illegally since he overstayed a tourist visa and an expired work permit.
Soliman’s wife and five children were taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials “for expedited removal,” the White House said in a post on X on Tuesday.
Youkilis was drafted by Boston in 2001 but made his major league debut in 2004, the year Boston won its first World Series in 86 years.
The post Former MLB All-Star Accuses Ocasio-Cortez of ‘Virtue Signaling,’ Weak Reaction to Colorado Antisemitic Attack first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Boulder City Council Member Refuses to Sign Statement Condemning Antisemitic Terror Attack
Boulder attack suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman poses for a jail booking photograph after his arrest in Boulder, Colorado, US, June 2, 2025. Photo: Boulder Police Department/Handout via REUTERS
Taishya Adams, who serves on the city council in Boulder, Colorado and is a regular critic of Israel’s efforts to dismantle Hamas’s control of Gaza, has broken with her colleagues by rejecting a statement to condemn the Sunday terrorist attack in Boulder targeting Jews marching in support of the Israeli hostages remaining in captivity in Gaza.
“Conflating antisemitism with anti-Zionism is dangerous and factually incorrect,” Adams told Boulder Reporting Lab when asked about her decision. “I just returned from Palestine where I saw and experience[d] what every minute terror looks and feels like. We will continue to see an increase in vigilante justice when we do not hold leaders accountable to war crimes.”
Adams had previously called for the council to advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza, a position the body rejected.
Rather than join her municipal colleagues, the councilwoman released her own response to the attack where she stated that her decision to pass on signing “did not reflect any lack of empathy or support for Jewish community members – or an attempt to somehow justify the horrific act committed by this individual. Whatever his motivation, violence and terror are NEVER the answer.”
Adams explained that she felt the statement lacked “an acknowledgement that, based on his recorded comments, this was both an act of antisemitism and anti-Zionism. If we are to prevent future violence and additional attacks in our community, I believe we need to be real about the possible motivations for this heinous act. Denying our community the full truth about the attack denies us the ability to fully protect ourselves and each other.”
The statement which Adams rejected included the support of Boulder’s Mayor Aaron Brockett and Mayor Pro Tem Lauren Folkerts, alongside council members Matt Benjamin, Tina Marquis, Ryan Schuchard, Nicole Speer, Mark Wallach and Tara Winer. City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde also signed.
Boulder’s leaders stated that “as our community continues to reel from the act of violence and terror that occurred on our beloved Pearl Street Mall yesterday, we, as Boulder City Council members and city manager, acknowledge in the strongest possible terms that this was a targeted, antisemitic attack.”
The statement – which made no mention of Israel, Hamas, or Gaza – called for standing “in solidarity and sadness with those directly impacted by the attack as well as Boulder’s entire Jewish community. We are united in condemning this hateful act of terror against Jewish people.”
Alleged attacker Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, faces charges including attempted first-degree murder after deliberation; attempted first-degree murder with extreme indifference; first-degree assault, including against an at-risk victim older than 70, and possession of an incendiary device for a Molotov cocktail and makeshift flamethrower attack on the “Run for Their Lives” event which resulted in burns for 12 people. The court has scheduled him to see a judge on Thursday.
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said that Soliman could receive as much as 384 years in prison for the attempted murder charges alone. A potential life sentence also hangs over Soliman’s head should a jury convict him of a federal hate crime charge filed against him. Investigators say that he claimed he had planned the attack for a year, waited until after his daughter’s high school graduation, planned to die during his antisemitic act, and said he sought to “kill all Zionist people.”
Bishop Grewell, the acting US attorney for the district of Colorado, said on Monday that “he acted because he hated what he called ‘the Zionist group.’”
According to the Trump administration, Soliman, an Egyptian who reportedly yelled “Free Palestine” during the terror attack, lives in the United States illegally, having overstayed his visa. His wife and children now face deportation.
“Today, DHS and ICE are taking the family of suspected Boulder, Colorado, terrorist, and illegal alien, Mohamed Soliman, into ICE custody,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. Soliman, she added, “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it.”
According to the FBI and police, Soliman’s family has cooperated with the investigation.
Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn called the attack “shocking,” adding that “seeing this man throwing Molotov cocktails onto human beings is just disgusting.”
Oren Segal, the Anti-Defamation League’s senior vice president of counter-extremism and intelligence, said that “when you have 600-plus days of rhetoric that is not just about opposition to Israeli government policy but that often features language that dehumanizes Israelis, Zionists and Jews, it creates an atmosphere in which these plots and attacks are much more likely.”
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