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Four female Israeli soldiers held captive by Hamas returned to Israel after being handed over to Red Cross personnel as the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip entered its second week.
Some 200 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails are also expected to be released on Saturday, under the terms of the deal that halted more than 15 months of war. The truce came into effect last Sunday with the release of Three Israeli civilian hostages and 90 Palestinian detainees.
The four soldiers – Liri Albag, 19, Daniella Gilboa, 20, Karina Ariev, 20, and Naama Levy, 20 – were seized from a military outpost on the Israel-Gaza border during the The October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas which sparked the conflict. Images and videos of their bloody kidnapping were released last year. Their freedom has become a central demand of the hostage release movement that has coalesced around the families of those still in captivity in Gaza.
The transfer of the masked Hamas gunmen to the Red Cross took place in Gaza City’s Palestine Square, amid a gathering of hundreds of uniformed and armed activists and spectators.
The four Israeli women walked across the square and onto a small stage carrying a banner, in Hebrew, that said “Zionism will not win.” After briefly agitating the crowd, they were ushered into Red Cross vehicles.
The Red Cross took the four to a transfer point where they were handed over to Israeli special forces and intelligence agents who then returned them to Israeli territory.
According to the Israeli military, the four soldiers are at a reception point inside Israel where they are undergoing medical tests and awaiting a reunion with their parents.
Hamas’ show of force expanded across the Gaza Strip, with convoys of white pickup trucks filled with armed men flying the green Hamas flag broadcast on Arab television stations and social media.
This second episode of the release of hostage prisoners was temporarily put into doubt on Friday evening after Hamas announced that four soldiers would be released.
Israeli officials said it was a violation of the terms of the agreement that called for surviving female civilians – some of whom were believed to remain in captivity – to be released before soldiers. The Israeli government nevertheless decided to move forward, and it is unclear whether the civilian, Arbel Yehud, will be released as part of next week’s exchange.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that until the issue of his release was “put in order”, it would not allow hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza – a decision which is expected to begin later Saturday.
Daniel Hagari, Israeli military spokesman, said: “We appreciate and thank the efforts of all international mediators. . . We expect them to ensure that Hamas complies with the agreement. »
U.S.-led mediators secured a six-week ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas this month, the first step in a complex three-step deal that could end the war and secure the release of the remaining 90 hostages held by Hamas.
Donald Trump had warned that there would be “all hell to pay” if a deal was not reached before his inauguration on Monday. On Friday, the new US president said: “The deal should hold, but if it doesn’t, there will be a lot of problems.”
Under the deal, the first step includes the release of 33 Israeli hostages – including children, women, the sick and the elderly – in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, hundreds of whom are serving long sentences. on terrorism and murder charges. Releases must take place in several weekly installments over the 42 days of stage one.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops will withdraw from populated areas of the shattered territory and displaced Palestinians will be allowed to return home. Humanitarian aid entering the Strip has already increased sharply over the past week.
On day 16 of the first phase, Israel and Hamas are expected to begin negotiating the details of the second phase, during which the remaining living hostages will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a further withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a complete and a complete end to the war. The final phase will involve the return of the bodies of the deceased hostages and the start of the reconstruction of Gaza.
