Three men were eventually released from captivity: Sacha (Alexander) Trupanov, a 29-year-old Israeli-Russian man, whom Hamas had filmed in a propaganda video fishing by the sea in Gaza; Yair Horn, an Israeli-Argentinian man, whose brother Eitan is still in Hamas's hands; and Sagui Dekel-Chen, an Israeli-American who, on October 7, 2023, had left his pregnant wife and two daughters sheltering in their home to go and fight Palestinian Islamist militants who were storming the kibbutz of Nir Oz, where the three hostages were kidnapped. Nir Oz was the hardest hit municipality in the attack: Of the village's 400 inhabitants, 42 were killed and 80 taken hostage.

The three were released in the morning on Saturday, February 15, and appeared among hundreds of hooded fighters on a stage set up by Hamas, which read: "No migration except to Jerusalem," in allusion to the Palestinians' rejection of US President Donald Trump's plan to displace Gazans from the territory.

Dekel-Chen's family survived the massacre. His wife gave birth to their youngest child while he was in captivity. When he was released, Israeli officials told him the news. According to media reports, the 36-year-old was "all smiles," repeating over and over: "I'm fine, I'm fine, I have a daughter!"

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