(Al Jazeera Media Network) Hamas has released four female Israeli soldiers held in Gaza, and 200 Palestinian prisoners have been released from Israeli jails as part of the ceasefire agreement that halted more than 15 months of war.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed on Saturday that it had transferred 128 Palestinian detainees to Gaza and the West Bank while local authorities handled the release and transfer of the remainder, completing the second exchange under the deal that took effect last Sunday.
Before the release of the Israeli captives in Gaza City’s Palestine Square, dozens of masked Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters gathered at the scene where a large crowd of Palestinians also congregated.
The four women – Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag – were marched onto a podium where they waved and smiled – likely under duress. They were then led into ICRC vehicles, which transported them to Israeli forces.
Representatives of the ICRC and a Hamas fighter were seen signing documents before the release.
Later on Saturday, buses carrying released Palestinian prisoners were seen departing from the Israeli Ofer military prison in the occupied West Bank. Israel’s Prison Service said all 200 prisoners were released in line with the list published by Hamas.
The releases on either side were welcomed by cheering crowds of Palestinians in the city of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, and by Israelis in Tel Aviv.
The Israeli captives were among more than 200 soldiers and civilians seized during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed at least 1,139 people, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on Israeli statistics.
In response to the attack, Israel launched a ferocious war on Gaza which has killed at least 47,283 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, and destroyed much of the enclave’s civilian infrastructure.
Northern Gaza return delay
Despite the completion of the exchange on Saturday, both Israel and Hamas accused the other side of breaking terms of the truce deal.
Israel said that under the terms of the agreement, a female civilian captive, 29-year-old Arbel Yehud, should have been released before the soldiers. A Hamas official told Al Jazeera that Yehuda is alive and will be released next Saturday.
Yossi Mekelberg, an analyst of UK-based Chatham House, has told Al Jazeera that disagreements over which prisoners to release and the modalities of their exchange have shown the precariousness of the current Gaza ceasefire deal.
“It’s a volatile and fragile situation, but the mediators are careful that every incident is not blown out of proportion,” Mekelberg said, adding that for the deal to be successful, “it will need the international community constantly engaged to guarantee that it moves forward day by day.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Palestinians in Gaza will not be allowed to cross back to the northern part of the territory until the issue is resolved.
Thousands of Palestinians have been displaced from northern Gaza during the war, and many were expecting to return on Sunday, under the truce agreement.
Israel said it would not be leaving the Netzarim Corridor, which runs through central Gaza, and thus Palestinians would not yet be able to return to the north.
Hamas accused Israel of delaying the implementation of the ceasefire deal.
“We hold the occupation [Israel] responsible for any disruption in implementing the agreement and its repercussions on the rest of the stations,” the group said.
Palestinians held in Israeli jails
Among the 200 Palestinians released from Israeli jails on Saturday, 121 were serving life sentences, while 79 were serving long sentences.
The oldest prisoner is 69 years old, while the youngest is 15. Seventy Palestinians are due to be deported, with Egypt expected to host them for 48 hours.
They will consequently be sent to Tunisia, Algeria and Turkiye, which all agreed to receive them.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/25/hamas-releases-four-israeli-soldiers-held-in-gaza
