Four female Israeli soldiers freed in second cease-fire exchange

Four Israeli female soldiers who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from a southern military base 477 days ago have been released in the second hostage exchange as part of the ongoing Gaza cease-fire deal. The soldiers – Karina Ariev, 20; Daniella Gilboa, 20; Naama Levy, 20; and Liri Albag, 19 – were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross, who worked with Hamas to facilitate their release.

This release follows the initial phase of the cease-fire deal, which brought an end to the 15-month long war. In return for the soldiers’ freedom, Israel is expected to release 200 Palestinian convicts from its prisons, including some serving life sentences.

Last Sunday, three other hostages were released after a delay in the truce due to Hamas violating the terms of the agreement. As per the deal, Hamas must provide Israel with the names of the hostages to be released at least 24 hours in advance. In exchange for the release of the three hostages, Israel freed 90 Palestinian prisoners, including women and children.

However, in the most recent exchange, Israel accused Hamas of once again violating the terms by not releasing all female civilians first before the female IDF soldiers. Despite this, the four female soldiers were handed over, with two civilians still held captive in Gaza.

Israel demanded the release of Arbel Yehud, who is believed to be held by the terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as part of the exchange. The Prime Minister and other officials raised concerns about the list of hostages provided by Hamas but proceeded with the exchange.

The four released hostages were surveillance soldiers abducted from the Nahal Oz military base during the brutal attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. The families of the hostages had pleaded for their safe return, with one of the hostages featured in a Hamas propaganda video appealing for rescue.

Under the first phase of the truce, weekly exchanges will continue for another five weeks, with Israel set to receive a total of 33 hostages in exchange for over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. The negotiations for the next phase of the deal will focus on releasing all remaining hostages in exchange for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.

The final phase of the agreement involves Hamas returning any remaining hostages’ corpses in exchange for a reconstruction plan in Gaza under international supervision. The cease-fire deal brought temporary calm to the conflict that had resulted in significant casualties on both sides.

With Post wires