Hamas releases 4 female Israeli soldiers in ceasefire deal swap
(NewsNation) — Another four hostages in Hamas captivity were released Saturday morning and have returned to Israel with their families, nearly one week since the start of the ceasefire deal with Israel in the war in Gaza.
This is the second round of hostages freed since the deal took effect Sunday, Jan. 19.
The hostages are four female Israeli soldiers, 19-year-old Liri Albag and 20-year-olds Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy, who were kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, in the Hamas attack that spawned the war.
The four women were seen in military uniforms handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross a few minutes after 4 a.m. ET (11 a.m. local) in Gaza City. Shortly after, the Israeli military confirmed.
They were medically evaluated and reunited with their families.
Before being handed over to the Red Cross, the women were presented to a Palestinian crowd on a stage, smiling and waving.
“It was a much, much bigger circus than last week basically because Hamas is looking to portray to the world how good condition these four female hostages are in,” Jotam Confino, a Middle East reporter for The Telegraph, told NewsNation’s “Morning in America with Hena Doba.”
Israel was initially expecting the release of two female civilians and two children. Soldier releases were not part of the swap.
“This caused a lot of anger. In Israel, they accepted, nevertheless, this exchange,” Confino said. “But in retribution and in a way to punish Hamas, they’ve said, ‘Until you release the last civilians from Gaza, we will not allow Palestinians to cross from southern Gaza to northern Gaza.'”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it spoke with Liri Albag’s parents, Shira and Eli.
In their conversation, translated from Hebrew, Netanyahu said, “My wife and I, together with the entire people of Israel, embrace Liri and her friends who have emerged into a great light.”
Netanyahu said Israel is “working on the release of everyone else.”
The White House released a statement on the hostages’ release: “Today the world celebrates as President Trump secured the release of four more Israeli hostages who were, for far too long, held against their will by Hamas in horrific conditions. The United States will continue with its great partner Israel to push for the release of all remaining hostages and the pursuit of peace throughout the region.”
Crowds gathered in Tel Aviv’s so-called Hostages Square and Gaza City leading up to and during the swap. The mood has been “joyous,” on-the-ground reporter Confino said.
Graphic footage, released by the Israeli military and with the consent of the families, shows the women captured in their pajamas, bloodied and dragged into Gaza. Levy’s photo of entering Gaza has circulated globally.
“I think today was really a cause of celebration many expected them to maybe not be alive, but here they are crossing into Israel,” Confino said.
The Israeli Defense Force posted pictures and videos of the family reunions to X.
The freed hostages are expected to stay at a hospital for some time.
On the first day of the ceasefire, Hamas released three female hostages — Emily Damari, 28; Romi Gonen, 24; and Doron Steinbrecher, 31 — in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners. An additional 200 Palestinian prisoners were set free on Saturday.
These include militants, some serving life sentences. About 70 were sent to Egypt and another 16 to Gaza. The rest were released to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to Reuters.
Saturday’s exchange marks seven out of the promised 33 hostage releases in the first phase of the ceasefire.
Agam Berger, 20, was another female soldier abducted from their unit but was not included in the deal, reports say.
The ceasefire will pan out in three, six-week phases. Israeli forces are expected to withdraw from Gaza during phase two, bringing a long-awaited end to the gunfire that has killed nearly 47,000 Palestinians.
