Hamas Releases Four Israeli Hostages to ICRC in Second Swap

Photo : Reuters

Hamas gave back four Israeli female soldiers to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza City. The soldiers' names are Karina Ariev, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag. They were captured when Hamas attacked their base on October 7, 2023.

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In a video, you could see the soldiers getting into cars from the ICRC after being led by Hamas members onto a stage. The soldiers waved and smiled as they were handed over to the Red Cross.

Hamas also said that 200 Palestinian prisoners would be released. This includes 120 people who had long sentences and 70 who will be sent to other countries. Many armed members of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) were in the Square, while Palestinians came to watch the second exchange of hostages since the ceasefire started.

The Israeli army said they received the four soldiers right after they were handed to the ICRC. This was the second exchange as part of the ceasefire deal that started on Sunday.

In the first exchange, three Israeli women were released, and 90 Palestinian prisoners went free. Hamas plans to release 33 Israeli hostages over six weeks in exchange for many Palestinian prisoners, including women and children.

The details for the second and third parts of the ceasefire are still not clear. Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. helped make this deal after 15 months of fighting, which caused over 47,000 deaths of Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Around 90 Israeli hostages are still in Gaza, and the Israeli military says that about one-third of them have been killed.