Hamas has announced the names of four Israeli captives who will be released this Saturday under the terms of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
The hostages, identified as soldiers Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag, will be released in exchange for 180 Palestinian detainees currently held in Israel. This is the second such exchange since the ceasefire went into effect last Sunday.
The initial release saw the exchange of three hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners. Dr. Ayelet Levy, whose daughter Naama Levy was kidnapped by Hamas, described her daughter as “a very strong girl” during an interview last year.
The ceasefire, which stopped the conflict that broke out after Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, has caused significant casualties. Approximately 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage in Gaza. Meanwhile, more than 47,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed during Israel's military operations in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Hamas is also expected to share information about the remaining 26 hostages scheduled for release in the coming weeks, including the Bibas family: two parents and their two children, one of whom, Kfir, was just 10 months old when he was captured. It remains uncertain whether Hamas will provide names or only indicate the status of the remaining hostages, whether alive or dead.
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The Palestinians who will be freed in this upcoming exchange are considered a higher risk group than those previously freed. Some of these prisoners have been convicted of deadly crimes and some have served sentences of more than 15 years. Israel has made clear that no one involved in the October 7 attacks will be released.
Ariev, Gilboa, Levy and Albag were captured at the Nahal Oz military base when it was invaded by Hamas militants. In the published images, the women were shown tied with their hands behind their backs, pleading for help as their captors mocked them. They were part of a unit in charge of monitoring the border between Israel and Gaza.
Hamas had previously released a video of Albag, 19, urging the Israeli government to negotiate a deal.
The ceasefire came after months of indirect negotiations involving the United States, Qatar and Egypt. It is being carried out in three stages, with the second phase beginning six weeks after the truce.
During the first stage, some 1,900 Palestinian prisoners will be exchanged for 33 hostages. Israeli forces are also expected to withdraw from Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to their homes.
The ceasefire is intended to pave the way for a permanent cessation of hostilities in Gaza.
So far, 91 hostages taken on October 7 remain in Gaza. Israel believes 57 of them are still alive. Additionally, three hostages (two of whom are alive) have been held captive for more than ten years.
So far, three Israeli hostages have been released as part of the ceasefire agreement. Romi Gonen, 24, was caught trying to flee the Nova music festival during the October 7 attack. She was released along with Doron Steinbrecher, 31, a veterinary nurse, and Emily Damari, 28, who has British and Israeli nationality. The three women returned to Israel on Sunday, where they were reunited with their families.
(BBC)
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