TEL AVIV — Hamas militants handed over four captive female Israeli soldiers to the Red Cross at Gaza City on Saturday after parading them in front of a crowd. Israel followed with the release of 200 Palestinian prisoners or detainees as part of the fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.



The four Israeli soldiers smiled broadly as they waved and gave the thumbs-up from a stage at Gaza City’s Palestine Square, militants on either side of them and a crowd of thousands watching before they were led off to waiting Red Cross vehicles. 



They were likely acting under duress, with previously released hostages saying they were held in brutal conditions and forced to record propaganda videos.



Israel’s Prison Service later said it had completed the release of 200 Palestinian Arabs. They include 120 who had been serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis. 



Around 70 were released into Egypt, according to Egypt’s state-run Qahera TV. Egypt had served as a key mediator in the talks that led to the truce.



Thousands of Palestinian Arabs gathered at the West Bank city of Ramallah to celebrate the arrival of buses carrying the prisoners. Many waved Palestinian flags or the flags of different political factions.



As the four Israeli soldiers were released, hundreds of people cheered at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square where they were watching the drama unfold on a big screen television.



“I’m speechless,” said one of the onlookers, Aviv Bercovich. “I had goosebumps watching them. I just want the war to end.”



Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office later released a video showing the freed hostages being welcomed at an Israeli army base. One of them, Liri Albag, smiled, gave two thumbs up and made a heart shape with her hand before getting into a van.



The four Israeli soldiers, Karina Ariev, 20, Daniella Gilboa, 20, Naama Levy, 20, and Albag, 19, were captured by Hamas during its attack on October 7, 2023.



In exchange, Israel agreed to release 200 prisoners, including 121 who were serving life sentences, according to a list released by Hamas.



The more notorious prisoners being released include Mohammad Odeh, 52, and Wael Qassim, 54, both from eastern Jerusalem. 



They were accused of carrying out a series of deadly Hamas attacks against Israelis, including a bombing at a cafeteria at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2002 that killed nine people, including five American citizens.



Of the 70 who were expelled to Egypt, some may eventually go to other countries, with Algeria, Tunisia ,and Turkey all expressing a willingness to take them in, according to the head of a Palestinian prisoner advocacy group, Abdullah al-Zaghari.



The four Israeli soldiers released were taken from Nahal Oz base near the border with Gaza when Hamas attacked, killing more than 60 soldiers there. 



The female abductees had all served in a unit of lookouts charged with monitoring threats along the border. A fifth female soldier in their unit, Agam Berger, 20, was abducted with them but not included in the list.

Israeli female soldier hostages before being handed over to the Red Cross at Gaza City, January 25, 2025.

Hames, as Part of Gaza Ceasefire, Frees 4 Female Israeli Soldiers in Exchange for 200 Palestinian Prisoners

Among the Palestinian Arabs released, 120 were serving life sentences for deadly attacks on Israelis.

Hames, as Part of Gaza Ceasefire, Frees 4 Female Israeli Soldiers in Exchange for 200 Palestinian Prisoners | The New York Sun

Home

The New York Sun

https://wp.nysun.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/the-new-york-sun-og.jpg

Attorney General Bondi is being accused of divulging new evidence on Jeffrey Epstein with a stranger.

Bondi Caught on Hidden Camera Discussing ‘Thousands’ of Epstein Videos With Stranger Nine Days Before Speaking Publicly About Them

Ramona Sarsgaard, left, and Maggie Gyllenhaal arrive for the Dior Spring/Summer 2023 fashion collection. 

Teenage Columbia Protester — Daughter of a ‘Batman’ Star, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Niece of Jake Gyllenhaal — Arrested at Unruly Anti-Israel Protest

Attorney General James speaks during a news conference outside federal court  at New York, February 14, 2025. 

Letitia James Heckled at Town Hall, Exhorted To ‘Apologize to Trump,’ as Criminal Investigation Looms Over Her Alleged Mortgage Fraud

President Trump greets Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House, April 7, 2025

Is ‘Daylight’ Really Showing Between Israel and America?

Jen Psaki's new primetime show debuted Tuesday on MSNBC.

Jen Psaki’s New MSNBC Show Has a Bumpy Start as She’s Accused of Making ‘Obviously False’ Claim That She Never Noticed Biden’s Decline

Axial Seamount, an undersea volcano that lies along two tectonic plates off the coast of Oregon, last erupted in April 2015. 

Ready To Rumble? Underwater Volcano Off Oregon Coast Is Likely To Erupt Soon

Sean 'Diddy' Combs, far left, looks on from the defense table with his attorneys, as a prospective juror, far right, answers questions posed by Judge Arun Subramanian, center, at Manhattan federal court, Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. 

Jury Selection in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s Sex-Trafficking Trial Delayed as Judge Worries Jurors Could Get ‘Cold Feet’

This undated image shows the former acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon.

Biden-Era Prosecutors Accused of ‘Deception’ —  and Targeting Republicans — in Breaking Plea Deal With Sam Bankman-Fried’s Top Lieutenant

Hames, as Part of Gaza Ceasefire, Frees 4 Female Israeli Soldiers in Exchange for 200 Palestinian Prisoners

To continue reading, please select:

Enter your email to read for FREE

Join the Sun for a PENNY A DAY

Sections

More

Sign in or create a free account

A login link has been sent to