25-1-2025 (GAZA) Hamas has transferred four female Israeli soldier hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza City on Saturday, as part of a broader prisoner exchange agreement that saw approximately 200 Palestinian prisoners released in return.
The freed hostages—Karina Ariev, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag—were initially presented at a public ceremony in Gaza City, surrounded by armed Hamas fighters and crowds of Palestinian onlookers, before being escorted to ICRC vehicles for transfer to Israeli forces.
The four women, who had been stationed at the Nahal Oz military base near the Gaza border, were captured during Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. Footage of their capture, taken from Hamas bodycam recordings and later recovered by Israeli forces, showed the soldiers in a distressed state, bound and wearing nightclothes.
Following their handover, the former hostages were reunited with their families at a military installation near the Gaza border before being transferred to a hospital in central Israel for medical evaluation, according to the Israeli Health Ministry.
The exchange marks the second such transaction since the implementation of a ceasefire agreement last Sunday, which previously facilitated the release of three Israeli civilian women in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas officials confirmed that the 200 Palestinian prisoners being released include individuals serving life sentences for militant activities. Approximately 70 of these released prisoners are expected to face deportation, according to Hamas statements.
The current ceasefire arrangement, brokered through Qatari and Egyptian mediation with American support, encompasses two distinct phases. The initial six-week phase aims to secure the release of 33 hostages—including children, women, elderly individuals, and those requiring medical attention—in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, alongside a partial Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza.
Israeli authorities report that 90 hostages remain in Gaza, with roughly one-third presumed deceased. The toll includes six Thai nationals whose status remains uncertain.
