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Hamas releases 4 Israeli soldiers as part of Gaza ceasefire deal
The four soldiers - Karina Ariev, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag - were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza.
Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday released four female Israeli soldiers in exchange for a group of about 200 prisoners Palestinian prisoners under a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending the 15-month-old war in Gaza.
The four soldiers - Karina Ariev, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag - were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza. They were then handed over to Israeli military forces, according to AFP.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office later said that Arbel Yehoud, a civilian hostage held by Hamas, was supposed to have been released, too. It added that Israel would not allow Palestinians to begin returning to northern Gaza until she is freed.
The four soldiers were all stationed at an observation post on the edge of Gaza and abducted by Hamas fighters who overran their base during the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
One of the soldiers' was being held by Islamic Jihad, Reuters reported, citing a Palestinian source.
The latest exchange is the second since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on January 19. Hamas had handed over three Israeli civilians in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners in the first exchange.
Israel-Gaza ceasefire
The ceasefire agreement, worked out after months of on-off negotiations brokered by Qatar and Egypt and backed by the United States, has halted the fighting for the first time since a truce that lasted just a week in November 2023.
In the first six-week phase of the deal, Hamas has agreed to release 33 hostages, including children, women, older men and the sick and injured, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, while Israeli troops pull back from some of their positions in the Gaza Strip.
Also Read | How the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal will unfold; and why it is so fragile
In a subsequent phase, the two sides would negotiate the exchange of the remaining hostages, including men of military age, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, which lies largely in ruins after 15 months of fighting and Israeli bombardment.
Also Read | Gaza : Release of Palestinian prisoners sparks hope, uncertainty
Israel launched its campaign in Gaza following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, when militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, more than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to health authorities there.
