Palestinian prisoners freed as Israeli hostages released under Gaza ceasefire

As part of the latest Gaza ceasefire agreement, Hamas released four female hostages, while Israel released 200 Palestinian prisoners, marking the second round of hostage and prisoner exchanges. The released female hostages include 19-year-old Liri Albag, as well as 20-year-olds Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy. They are all Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers who were kidnapped by Hamas militants from the Nahal Oz observation post on the edge of the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.

They had been held captive in Gaza since then. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said after their release, "On the morning of October 7, the female soldiers bravely confronted the enemy. Many were killed in the fierce fighting—we embrace these families and stand with them." The four women were seen in Palestinian Square in Gaza City wearing their Israeli military uniforms before being escorted by Hamas militants to waiting Red Cross vehicles.

The women were then transported to the Israeli-Gaza border, where they were handed over to the IDF and Shin Bet security forces. They were reunited with their families at the Re'im military base, where three helicopters were waiting to transport them to the Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva. Naama Levy's family said in a statement that they were "overjoyed and moved" by her return home. They added, "Our hearts are with the Berger and Yehud families who are still waiting for their loved ones," and stated, "We will not rest until our last hostage returns."

Prior to the exchange, crowds gathered in Palestinian Square in Gaza City, and live footage from international agencies showed Hamas militants displaying anti-Israel banners. Israel had expected that, following the release of the hostages, displaced Palestinians from the southern Gaza Strip would be allowed to return to their northern communities. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that this would not happen because Hamas had not released a civilian hostage named Arbel Yehud. Hamas stated that Israel's preventing displaced Palestinians from returning to the northern part of the enclave was delaying the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire terms and warned that this delay could have "repercussions" on the subsequent phases of the agreement.

The terrorist group also told Reuters that Ms. Yehud was alive and would be released by the end of next week. Israel had demanded her release on Saturday and claimed that Hamas's failure to do so violated the ceasefire agreement. Ms. Yehud is believed to have been kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the Gaza border, on October 7 and is being held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad rather than Hamas, which may explain why her release has been delayed. She is one of only two remaining female hostages. The other is Silberman Bibas, who was kidnapped along with her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir (aged 5 and 2 respectively), and her husband, Yarden. Hamas has claimed that the mother and two children were killed in an IDF airstrike, but has not released any photographic or video evidence, leading many in Israel to believe they may still be alive and that Hamas's statement is psychological warfare.

Another military spokesperson posted on X that Hamas had not complied with the ceasefire agreement to prioritize the release of Israeli civilians, as Agam Berger was not released today. Daniel Hagari also expressed these concerns at a press conference. "Agam Berger remains captive by Hamas. We are committed to bringing her back and ensuring the return of all hostages," he said. "Hamas has not fulfilled its agreement to prioritize the return of civilian hostages. We will insist on the return of Arbel Yehoud, as well as the children of the Shiri and Bibas families, about whom we are very concerned."

Hours after the hostages were released, Israel released approximately 200 Palestinian prisoners from its prisons. However, not all were allowed to return home. About 70 were deported to Egypt. These were prisoners convicted of the most serious crimes. Israel stated that any Palestinian convicted of killing Israelis would not be allowed to return to their homes in the West Bank or Gaza and should be permanently deported. Palestinian activist Hadeel Hijazi, who has been held in Israeli prisons since last June without any charges or answers, was released in Sunday’s ceasefire exchange and is more determined than ever to speak out. Egypt’s state-run Cairo TV said that 70 prisoners had been deported to Egypt, arriving on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip.

Some third-party countries have agreed to receive them from there, including Turkey, Algeria, and Tunisia. The remaining prisoners were taken from Ofer Prison in the West Bank to Ramallah, where relatives and supporters had gathered. Al Jazeera reported that 121 of the 200 were serving life sentences. The oldest prisoner was 69 years old, and the youngest was only 15. The list included terrorists convicted of murder, car bombings, shootings, and planning suicide bombings. According to Israeli media Haaretz, 21 prisoners will be released to the Gaza Strip.

Israel also holds Palestinians in its prisons without charge or trial. These are what Israel calls "administrative detainees." Many were expected to be released as part of the ceasefire agreement, but none were released on Saturday. Some were released last week. Nearly 2,000 prisoners and administratively detained Palestinians are expected to be released from Israeli prisons as part of the ceasefire agreement. The first six-week phase of the ceasefire will see a total of 33 hostages released. There are now 26 remaining. The group is made up of women and children, men over 50, and wounded civilians, including two Americans. It is not clear how many of the remaining hostages are still alive, and Hamas was expected to provide an update on their condition later on Saturday.

After Saturday, three hostages will be released every seven days, with the final 14 being released in the last week of the first phase, which ends on March 1. Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, for every female soldier released, 30 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 20 prisoners serving sentences of 15 years or more will be released. They may include militants convicted of carrying out deadly attacks in Israel and those convicted of murder. However, Israel has stated that they will not include anyone involved in the October 7 attacks. The second phase will involve negotiations for the release of the remaining 65 hostages, who are mostly male Israeli soldiers, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces.