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Four Israeli female soldiers held hostage by Hamas have returned to Israel, and 200 Palestinian prisoners were released on Saturday as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement that halted more than 15 months of war.
Last Sunday, three Israeli female civilian hostages and 90 Palestinian detainees were released, and a ceasefire agreement entered into force.
The four soldiers – Lili Arbag (19 years old), Daniela Gilboa (20 years old), Karina Aliyev (20 years old) and Nama Levi (20 years old) – were killed in the 2023 war that triggered the conflict. He was captured from a military outpost on the Israel-Gaza border during a Hamas attack on October 7, 2019. Their freedom has become a central demand of the hostage liberation movement, which is united by the families of those still held captive in Gaza.
Hamas militants initially handed the group over to Red Cross officials as hundreds of uniformed and armed militants and cheering onlookers waving the group’s green flag gathered in Gaza City’s Palestine Square.
Four Israeli women marched across the square to a small stage holding a banner that read in Hebrew: “Zionism will not win.” After briefly waving to the crowd, they were ushered into a Red Cross vehicle.
The Red Cross drove the four to the transfer point, where they were handed over to Israeli special forces and intelligence agents, who then returned them to Israeli territory. The women were then flown by helicopter to a hospital in the center of the country, where they will remain with their families for treatment over the next few days.
After arriving in Israel, 200 Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli prisons, most in the occupied West Bank, 20 in Gaza, and dozens in Egypt, where they were destined for asylum in third countries. Sent.
“Today we forced the criminal occupiers to open their cell doors to our heroic prisoners,” Hamas said. “This is our pledge to continue to walk alongside them in their quest for freedom and on the path to independence and self-determination.”
This second round of hostage releases was briefly thrown into doubt after Hamas announced Friday night that it would release four soldiers.
Israeli officials claimed this was a violation of the terms of the agreement, which called for the remaining surviving civilian women, one of whom is believed to remain a prisoner of war, to be released before the soldiers. Nevertheless, the Israeli government has decided to move forward and it remains 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 hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza until the issue of her release was “sorted out,” a move that began late Saturday. It was planned to be done.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said: . . We expect them to make sure that Hamas complies with the agreement. ”
A U.S.-led mediator secured a six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas this month. This is the first step in a complex three-phase agreement that could end the war for good and secure the release of the remaining 90 hostages held by Hamas.
Donald Trump has warned that if a deal is not reached by Monday’s inauguration, “we will pay a hell of a price.” On Friday, the new US president said: “The agreement must be preserved, but if it is not, there will be many problems.”
The first phase of the agreement consists of the release of 33 Israeli hostages, including children, women, the sick and the elderly, in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, several hundred of whom are suspected of terrorist attacks. He is serving a long sentence for murder. The release will be split into weekly installments over a 42-day period in the first phase.
During this time, Israeli forces will withdraw from populated areas in the shattered territory and displaced Palestinians will be allowed to return to their homes. Humanitarian aid flowing into the Strip has already increased sharply over the past week.
By the 16th of the first phase, Israel and Hamas are scheduled to begin detailed negotiations for the second phase, during which the remaining living hostages will be released in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners and further withdrawal of Israeli forces and a complete end to the conflict. war. The final stage will include the return of the bodies of the deceased hostages and the start of rebuilding Gaza.
