Four Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas today to be exchanged for 200 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The four Israeli hostages are all young female IDF troops who were taken captive on October 7th 2023 when Hamas carried out its cross-border attack.
They have been handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza.
Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, all aged 20, and 19-year-old Liri Albag will be exchanged for 200 Palestinian prisoners - 50 for each IDF soldier released by Hamas as per the ceasefire agreement.
It is understood that 120 of the Palestinian prisoners are serving life sentences.
Under the terms of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hames, 33 hostages are to be freed over the course of six weeks in return for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.
Relatives and friends of Israeli people killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, react as they follows the news of the hostages' release, in Tel Aviv, Israel. Image: AP Photo/Ariel Schalit. 25 January 2025The Gaza-based Prisoners' Media Office said in a statement: "After the Palestinian resistance factions announced the names of the occupation prisoners who are to be released tomorrow, which included the names of four female soldiers; we are waiting for the list of Palestinian prisoners who are to be released tomorrow," a spokesperson said.
"[This] will include 120 prisoners with life sentences, and 80 prisoners with high sentences, according to what was stipulated in the ceasefire agreement in the deal."
The Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released from Ofer Prison in the West Bank late on Saturday or in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Saturday is also expected to see the start of an IDF withdrawal from the Netzarim Corridor that bisects Gaza.
Once complete, Gazans will be able to return home to the north of the strip, although they will be subject to checks for weapons before being allowed to pass.
An aerial photograph taken by a drone shows the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive, in Rafah, Gaza Strip. Image: AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi. 24 January 2025Among the roughly 250 people abducted in Israel on October 7th 2023, some have died in captivity in Gaza, while others have been released or rescued.
Including the four hostages expected to be released on Saturday, 91 of those taken captive on 7 October 2023 are still yet to return home.
The ceasefire, brokered with the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the US, has brought a pause to 15 months of brutal fighting in Gaza that has razed much of the enclave to the ground.
Main image: A mural of female Israeli soldiers held hostage by the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip is displayed in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit). Image: Associated Press / Alamy. 25/1/2025.
