The Palestinian militant movement Hamas handed four female Israeli soldier captives over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza on Saturday, launching them in return for some 200 Palestinian prisoners.The 4 hostages were led onto a podium in Gaza City in the middle of a large crowd of Palestinians and surrounded by dozens of armed Hamas men.
They waved and smiled before being led off, getting in ICRC cars and being transported to Israeli forces, Reuters reported.The Israeli armed force said it had received the 4 in Gaza.
They are being released in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners under a ceasefire agreement targeted at ending the 15-month-old war in Gaza.The 4 soldiers &-- Karina Ariev, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag &-- were all stationed at an observation post on the edge of Gaza and abducted by Hamas fighters who overran their base during the attack on Israel on Oct.
7, 2023.
After being reunited with their household at an Israeli military base near the Gaza border, the launched captives will be required to a hospital in central Israel, the Israeli Health Ministry said.Hamas stated 200 prisoners will be freed on Saturday as part of the exchange.
They include founded guilty militants serving life sentences for their involvement in attacks that killed dozens of people.
Around 70 are set to be deported, Hamas said.Saturday&& s planned exchange will be the second because a ceasefire started on Sunday and Hamas turned over 3 Israeli female civilians in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners.The ceasefire agreement, exercised after months of on-off settlements brokered by Qatar and Egypt and backed by the United States, has halted the fighting for the first time since a truce that lasted just a week in November 2023.
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