Four Israeli hostages released by Hamas during staged handover

According to the ceasefire agreement, four Israeli female soldiers who were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023, were recently released, while Israel also released 200 Palestinian prisoners. The four released Israeli female soldiers are Karina Ariev, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag, all between the ages of 19 and 20. They were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza City, a process carefully orchestrated by Hamas with the involvement of multiple armed personnel.

However, Israel accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement because the female civilian hostage, Albel Yehud, who was scheduled to be released on Saturday, was not released, leading Israel to postpone its planned return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza. Hamas stated that the hostage would be released next weekend but did not provide specific details. Despite the dispute, Israel still released Palestinian prisoners, 70 of whom were immediately deported to neighboring Egypt due to the severity of their crimes.

Some of the released Palestinian prisoners will be transferred to Gaza, while others will be allowed to return to their homes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Saturday's exchange was the second since the ceasefire went into effect on January 19. A week earlier, the first exchange resulted in the release of three hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners. The event held in Palestine Square in Gaza City on Saturday was carefully planned by Hamas, a stark contrast to the chaotic handover of the previous weekend.

The four hostages emerged from cars and were escorted by masked gunmen to a stage set up in the square. Prior to this, a Red Cross official signed documents with a Hamas militant at a table. Both the hostages and masked gunmen wore lanyards with laminated ID cards, each with their own event authentication. The stage was set with tables and flags, symbolizing bureaucratic procedure, yet a machine gun was placed next to the platform. The four Israeli women waved, smiled, and held hands while being watched by Hamas militants and Palestinian civilians.

Hamas prepared a bag for each hostage containing items to bring back to Israel, hoping that these carefully crafted images would project order and strength. The intent of this move may have been directed at Palestinians who hope to one day govern Gaza, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to destroy the organization after the October 7 attacks. For Israelis, the safe release of another four hostages and their reunion with their families brought immense relief. Daniela Gilboa's family stated that she "survived 477 hellish days in Gaza and is now back in the arms of our family."

Last week, many were angered by the haphazard manner in which the first three released women were taken away during the handover. After Saturday's starkly different scene, another kind of anger may emerge: the public display of these women during the final moments of their freedom. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, 200 Palestinian prisoners were released to cheers. Some of the released prisoners were hoisted onto the shoulders of crowds after exiting vehicles, accompanied by loud cheers and fireworks. Of the 200 released, a total of 121 had served time in Israeli prisons, some convicted of multiple murders, including the killing of Israeli civilians.

Some prisoners were held for short periods, while others were never charged with crimes, but instead were held under a system called administrative detention. The youngest Palestinian prisoner released on Saturday was 16 years old, and the oldest was 69. Released prisoner Bakr Qawish said, “Thank God! It feels amazing, I can’t describe the feeling! I’ve been in prison for six years and two months.” Despite the smooth exchange on Saturday, Israel accused Hamas of violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

Israel had expected Albel Yehud to be released, as the terms of the ceasefire agreement prioritized female civilians. Her name did not appear on the list of released hostages released by Hamas on Friday. On Saturday, after the four hostages safely returned to Israel, Israel stated it would respond by temporarily not allowing displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, contrary to the original plan. According to the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Israel was supposed to withdraw from some positions inside Gaza. Israel stated it would not allow Palestinians to return until Ms. Yehud's situation was resolved.

Subsequently, a Palestinian official with close ties to Hamas and knowledge of the implementation of the ceasefire agreement told the BBC, "Hamas just informed the mediators that the Israeli captive, Albel Yehuda, is alive and will be released next Saturday." The January ceasefire agreement suspended the war, which began with Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Approximately 1,200 people were killed, and 251 were taken back to Gaza as hostages. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza stated that more than 47,200 Palestinians have died in the Israeli offensive, most of whom were civilians.