Four female Israeli soldiers, captured by Hamas militants in October, were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza City on Saturday. This marks the second exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners since a ceasefire began last weekend. Israel is set to release 200 Palestinian detainees in return. The fragile ceasefire aims to halt the deadliest conflict ever between Israel and Hamas.
Hamas militants have handed over four female Israel i soldiers to the Red Cross after parading them in front of a crowd in Gaza City. The four Israel i soldiers, Karina Ariev, 20, Daniella Gilboa, 20, Naama Levy, 20, and Liri Albag, 19, were captured in Hamas ’ October 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war. The four were led onto a podium in Gaza City amid a large crowd of Palestinians and surrounded by dozens of armed Hamas men.
They waved and smiled before being led off, entering ICRC vehicles that will transport them to Israeli forces. Israel is set to release 200 Palestinian prisoners or detainees later in the day as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.Crowds gathered in Tel Aviv and Gaza City on Saturday ahead of the expected swap between Israel and Hamas of more hostages for Palestinian prisoners, the second such exchange since a ceasefire began in the Gaza Strip last weekend and another test for the deal. The truce is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and the militant group. The fragile deal has so far held, quieting airstrikes and rockets and allowing for increased aid to flow into the tiny coastal territory.In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, a big screen showed the faces of the four female soldiers expected to be released. Some in the growing crowd wore Israeli flags, others held posters with the hostages’ faces. “I’m extremely excited, exhilarated,” said onlooker Gili Roman. “In a heartbeat, in a split of a second, their lives are going to turn upside again, but right now for a positive and a good side.” He said his sister was released in the only other ceasefire in November, but another relative was killed in captivity.When the ceasefire started Sunday, three hostages held by the militants were released in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners, all women and children. On Saturday, four hostages are expected to be freed for 200 prisoners, including 120 who are serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks on Israelis. They will likely be released into Gaza or sent abroad.The four female soldiers were taken from Nahal Oz base near the border with Gaza when Palestinian militants overran it, killing more than 60 soldiers there. The female abductees had all served in a unit of lookouts charged with monitoring threats along the border. A fifth female soldier in their unit, Agam Berger, 20, was abducted with them but not included in the list. Israel’s military issued a statement Saturday morning saying that preparations had been completed to receive the hostages and provide them medical care and personal support at the initial reception points, then transfer them to hospitals and reunite them with their families. In Gaza City’s central Palestine Square, a crowd began to gather early as militants worked to cordon off an area where the hostages were expected to be handed over to the Red Cross. Dozens of armed and masked militants also paraded in vehicles through the streets of the city, said resident Radwan Abu Rawiya who was part of the Palestine Square crowd. Hamas fighters are deployed in central Gaza City ahead of the planned release of four Israeli soldiers.Children ran alongside the militants’ vehicles as celebratory gunfire rang out, he said in a telephone interview.After the swap, Israel is expected to begin pulling back from the Netzarim corridor — an east-west road dividing Gaza in two — and allowing displaced Palestinians in the south to return to their former homes in the north for the first time since the beginning of the war.Palestinians will only be allowed to move north on foot, with vehicular traffic restricted until later in the ceasefire. The Hamas-run interior ministry said displaced Palestinians will be allowed to return to northern Gaza starting Sunday. In a statement on Saturday, the ministry, which oversees police forces, said Palestinians will be able to move between southern and northern Gaza on foot through the coastal Rashid road. What happens after the deal’s initial six-week phase is uncertain, but many hope it will lead to the end of a war that has levelled wide swaths of Gaza, displaced the vast majority of its population and left hundreds of thousands of people at risk of famine
HAMAS ISRAEL CEASEFIRE HOSTAGES PRISONERS GAZA EXCHANGE WAR RED CROSS
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Hamas to Release Four Israeli Female Soldiers in Exchange for Palestinian PrisonersPalestinian militant group Hamas has announced the names of four Israeli female soldiers held hostage during its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Their release is expected to occur on Saturday, marking the second prisoner exchange under the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Read more »
Hamas Releases Four Israeli Female Soldiers in Exchange for Palestinian PrisonersHamas militants have handed over four female Israeli soldiers, captured during their October 7 attack, to the Red Cross in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners. This prisoner swap marks the second exchange since a ceasefire began last weekend, aiming to bring an end to the deadliest war between Israel and Hamas.
Read more »
Israeli airstrikes kill 68 in Gaza, Palestinian Authority suspends Al Jazeera from West BankIsraeli airstrikes killed at least 68 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, medics say, including Gaza's head of police and people in a tent encampment sheltering displaced families.
Read more »
Five Palestinian journalists killed in Israeli strike on van in Gaza, employer saysMen were asleep in marked press vehicle, say witnesses, as renewed hostage negotiations reach impasse
Read more »
Gaza Under Siege: The Devastating Toll of the Israeli-Palestinian ConflictThe Israeli response to Hamas’s attacks in October 2023 has resulted in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed, millions displaced, and infrastructure destroyed. The conflict has had a devastating impact on the civilian population, with accusations of genocide leveled against Israel.
Read more »
Israeli military says it 'continues to attack' in Gaza as dispute with Hamas delays ceasefireThe Israeli military says it "continues to attack" inside the Gaza Strip as a dispute with Hamas delayed the start of a planned ceasefire.
Read more »