Hamas frees four Israeli hostages in second exchange after Gaza ceasefire
Militias from the Al Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, handed over this Saturday to the Red Cross the four Israeli female soldiers released by Hamas as part of the truce with Israel, in a ceremony organized in the Palestine Square of the Gaza City before hundreds of people and broadcast live on the Qatari network Al Jazeera. This is the second hostage exchange following the ceasefire agreement, which came into effect last Sunday.
The released women are Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy, between 19 and 20 years old, captured on October 7, 2023 at the Nahal Oz military base, one kilometer from Gaza, where they were completing their mandatory military service. .
The young women, who appeared smiling and in good health, greeted from a stage set up in the square the hundreds of people and dozens of Palestinian militiamen from the Al Qassam and Al Quds brigades, the armed wings of Hamas and of Islamic Jihad, gathered there to receive them.
Around 9:30 a.m. local time (7:30 GMT), militiamen began to arrive at the square in vehicles, which were arranged in rows, armed and masked, in front of a stage placed at one end of the square, carrying the emblems of both militias.
Two and a half hours later, four Red Cross SUVs arrived at the square and parked in front of the stage, after which four militia vehicles appeared in front of hundreds of Gazans carrying Palestinian and militia flags.
Two Red Cross workers got out of their cars and went on stage to sign a document with the militiamen, after which the hostages emerged from the vehicles smiling. They then went up to the stage, where the phrase “Zionism will not win” was read in Hebrew, and greeted the audience by raising their arms.
Red Cross vehicles will now take them to Israeli territory, where they will be reunited with their families at a point prepared by the Army near the enclave. This will occur at the reception point of the Reim military base, about 7 kilometers from the border with the Gaza Strip and where the first three hostages released last Sunday were already taken.
The freed women were together at the Nahal Oz military base, just a kilometer from Gaza, when Palestinian militants led by Hamas attacked Israeli territory, killing almost 1,200 people and kidnapping another 251.
According to what their relatives told EFE, the kidnapped women had been warning for months that they were seeing suspicious movements within the enclave.
In exchange, Israel will release 200 Palestinian prisoners throughout this Saturday. As agreed, each female soldier will be exchanged for 50 prisoners.
200 Palestinians imprisoned, released
The Palestinian Prisoners Commission (PPSMO) has already released the list of 200 imprisoned Palestinians who will be released by Israel this Saturday as part of the second exchange for Hamas hostages in Gaza, of which 120 were sentenced to death. life.
The PPSMO recorded that, of those sentenced to life imprisonment who will be released, 81 belonged to Hamas, 23 to the Islamic Jihad, 13 to the secular Fatah movement, two to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and one to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Liberation of Palestine.
The list includes the oldest Palestinian in an Israeli prison, Mohamed Ahmed Abdel Hamid Al Tus, from Bethlehem, who has been in prison since 1985 and is 69 years old.
