Four Female Israeli Soldiers Freed After 477 Days Of Hamas Captivity As Part Of Gaza Ceasefire Deal

Four female Israeli soldiers, who were held captive by Hamas for over 470 days, were handed over to the International Red Cross by the Palestinian terror outfit on Saturday (25 January) as part of a truce agreement in Gaza.

The soldiers, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag, had been in captivity for 477 days.

Prior to the transfer, the women were presented on a stage set up by Hamas in a square in Gaza City, according to The Times of Israel.

They wore military-style uniforms and carried bags supplied by their captors.

The soldiers were seen waving and smiling before being led to Red Cross vehicles that would transport them to Israeli forces, India Today reported.

Their release is part of a prisoner exchange under a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending the 15-month-long conflict in Gaza.

The soldiers were stationed at an observation post near Gaza and were captured by Hamas during the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Hamas announced that 200 prisoners would be released on Saturday as part of the exchange.

The group stated that the prisoners would include members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), with several serving life sentences.

Saturday’s exchange marks the second prisoner swap since the ceasefire commenced on Sunday.

Earlier, Hamas had released three Israeli civilians in return for 90 Palestinian prisoners.

The ceasefire, which was brokered after months of negotiations by Qatar and Egypt with backing from the United States, has brought an end to hostilities for the first time since a short truce in November 2023.

As part of the truce deal that began on Sunday, Israeli forces are set to partially withdraw from a significant area in central Gaza after the prisoner exchange, enabling hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza.

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