TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Four female Israeli soldiers who were taken in the attack that sparked the war in Gaza returned to Israel on Saturday after Hamas militants paraded them before a crowd of thousands in Gaza City and handed them over to the Red Cross.
The four soldiers, identified as Karina Ariev, 20, Daniella Gilboa, 20, Naama Levy, 20, and Liri Albag, 19, had been taken from the Nahal Oz base near the border with Gaza when Palestinian militants overran it, killing more than 60 soldiers.
As they returned to Israel, they smiled, waved, and gave the thumbs-up to the crowd from a stage in Palestine Square. Armed and masked militants stood on either side, with Hamas seeking to show it remained in control in Gaza after 15 months of war.
The soldiers were likely held in brutal conditions and forced to record propaganda videos, according to previously released ones.
In exchange for the soldiers’ release, Israel released 200 Palestinian prisoners, including 121 people serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis, while others were held without charge.
Thousands of Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Ramallah celebrated their arrival, wearing gray prison sweatsuits and donned Hamas headbands given to them by the crowd. Some rode on the shoulders of supporters to celebrate.
However, the agreement was beset by its first major crisis, as Israel said it would not allow displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza by Sunday as anticipated, as Arbel Yehoud, a civilian hostage, was not released as expected.
Israel said it would not release Yehoud, who was taken from a kibbutz in Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war, until the current phase of the ceasefire is concluded.
Hamas said it would release Yehoud next week, and Egyptian officials involved in the negotiations called the issue a “minor matter” that mediators were working to resolve.
The ceasefire began last weekend with the release of three hostages and 90 prisoners and is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas. The deal has allowed for a surge of aid to enter the tiny, devastated Gaza.
