The four Israeli soldiers released on Saturday – Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag – were stationed at an observation post on the edge of Gaza when Hamas fighters invaded their base. and kidnapped them during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that precipitated the war.
Their parents applauded and shouted with joy when they saw them on the screen, watching the delivery live from a nearby military base on the other side of the border. In Tel Aviv, hundreds of Israelis gathered at a rally point now known as Hostage Square, crying, hugging and cheering while the liberation was broadcast on a giant screen.
The women were reunited with their families and then airlifted to a hospital in central Israel. In a video released by the Israeli army, they are seen hugging tightly with their parents, between smiles and tears.
Among the 200 Palestinians released on Saturday are militants, some of whom are serving life sentences for their involvement in attacks that killed dozens of people, according to a list published by Hamas.
Israel says those convicted of killing Israelis will not be allowed to return to their country. Around 70 will be deported to Egypt, according to the Palestinian authorities, and from there to another country, possibly Türkiye, Qatar or Algeria.
Another 16 were sent to Gaza and the rest were released in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where crowds waving Palestinian flags gathered in Ramallah to greet them.
The most anticipated hug ♥️
Four young Israeli women returned home today after 477 days kidnapped by Hamas.
Daniella, Naama, Liri and Karina with their parents again.
Heroines of Israel. 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/YXd12DNITG
— Israel in Spanish (@IsraelinSpanish) January 25, 2025
Dispute
Joy in Israel over Saturday’s release was marred by disappointment when it emerged that Arbel Yehud, 29, who had been kidnapped with her boyfriend from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, was not among those freed.
An Israeli military spokesman called it a violation of the truce, while Hamas said it was a technical problem. A Hamas official said the group had informed mediators that she was alive and would be released next Saturday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Palestinians in Gaza will not be allowed to return to the northern part of the territory until the issue is resolved.
According to Palestinian authorities, some 650,000 displaced people hope to return to the north starting Sunday under the ceasefire. Witnesses said there was a stampede on a road leading north, blocked by Israeli troops who opened fire.
Doctors said one person was killed there by suspected Israeli fire, one of the few deaths reported since the truce began. Two others were injured. Reuters asked the Israeli military for comment on the incident.
Thousands of people gathered with their belongings along the coastal highway, where they said an Israeli tank was still blocking the road north.
“I won’t go back to the store,” Zaki Kashef, 26, told Reuters via a chat app, waiting on the coastal highway to return north from Deir Al-Balah, where he has been sheltering with his family for more. of one year. «Where are the mediators? Why can’t they force Israel to respect the agreement?
The ceasefire agreement, hammered out after months of on-again, off-again talks brokered between Qatar and Egypt and backed by the United States, has halted fighting for the first time in more than a year.
After Saturday’s release, 90 hostages remain in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities, who have stated that around a third of them died in absentia.
26 are still scheduled to be released in the first phase, after which the parties are expected to negotiate the exchange of the rest, including men of military age, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Israel launched its campaign in Gaza following the October 7 attack by Hamas, when militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages in Gaza, according to Israeli counts. Since then, Israel’s campaign has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to health authorities in the area. More than 400 Israeli soldiers have also been killed in fighting in Gaza.
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