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Four female Israeli soldiers captured by Hamas have returned to Israel after being handed over to Red Cross personnel, as a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip enters its second week.
About 200 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons under the deal, which halted more than 15 months of war, are also scheduled to be released on Saturday. The truce came into effect last Sunday with three female Israeli civilian hostages and 90 Palestinian detainees.
Four soldiers – Liri Albag, 19, Daniella Gilboa, 20, Karina Ariev, 20, and Naama Levy, 20, take the trigger from an Israeli military post on the Gaza border during an attack on October 7, 2023 Clash of military posts. Images and videos of their bloody abduction were aired last year. Their freedom has become a central demand in the hostage release campaign, which surrounds families who remain captive in Gaza.
The handover by the masked Hamas gunman to the Red Cross took place in Gaza City’s Palestine Square amid a concentration of hundreds of uniformed and armed militants and cheering onlookers.
Four women from Israel marched through the square and reached a small stage with a banner reading “Zionism will not win” in Hebrew. After briefly waving to the crowd, they were ushered into Red Cross vehicles.
The Red Cross will move four to a transfer point, where they will be handed over to Israeli special forces and intelligence personnel before returning them to Israeli territory.
According to the Israeli military, the four soldiers were at a reception inside Israel where they were undergoing medical tests and awaiting a reunion with their parents.
Hamas’s show of strength spread across the Gaza Strip, with convoys of white pickup trucks packed with gunmen and green Hamas flags broadcast on Arab television and social media.
The release of a second group of hostage prisoners was temporarily in doubt on Friday night after Hamas announced it would release four soldiers.
Israeli officials claim that this violates the terms of the agreement, which requires civilian women who are still alive – and who are believed to be one still imprisoned – to be released before soldiers. Nonetheless, the Israeli government has decided to move forward, and it is unclear whether civilian Arbel Yehud will be released as part of next week’s exchange.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it would not allow thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to North Gaza until “releases are in order” – a move expected on Saturday night Start some time.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said: “We appreciate the efforts of all international mediators . . . We hope they ensure that Hamas remains consistent with the agreement.”
U.S.-led mediators agreed this month to a six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the first of a complex three-phase deal that could permanently end the war and secure Hamas The remaining 90 hostages held were released.
Donald Trump has warned there will be “all hell” if a deal is not reached before taking office on Monday. On Friday, the new US president said: “This deal should happen, but if it doesn’t, there are going to be a lot of problems.”
Under the terms of the deal, the first phase includes the release of 33 Israeli hostages – including children, women, sick and elderly people – in exchange for some 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, hundreds of whom are serving lengthy prison sentences for terrorism and murder. judgment. The release will be available in weekly installments over the first 42 days.
During this period, Israeli forces will evacuate densely populated areas of the shattered territory and displaced Palestinians will be allowed to return to their homes. The flow of humanitarian aid into the strip has increased dramatically over the past week.
By Day 16 of Phase 1, Israel and Hamas will begin negotiating the details of Phase 2, during which the remaining hostages will be released in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a further withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and Full withdrawal. End the war. The final phase will involve the return of the bodies of the deceased hostages and the beginning of Gaza’s reconstruction.
