Israel and Hamas exchange hostages and prisoners again

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Lerato Khumalo

Mandatory east

Israel and Hamas exchange hostages and prisoners again

Updated on January 25th, 2025 – 5:15 p.m.Reading time: 4 min.

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The four liberated soldiers immediately before their handover to the Red Cross in Gaza City (Source: Abed Hajjar/AP/dpa/dpa pictures)

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Emotional reception for four former hostages in Israel – but the fate of another woman causes irritation. It is also cheered in western Bank via released prisoners.

Israel and Islamist Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners for the second time as part of the Gaza Agreement. After a good 15 months, four soldiers came out of the violence of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, they were handed over by the International Committee by the Red Cross to the Israeli army – there they were given an emotional reception. In return, Israel released around 200 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.

The release takes place as part of a six-week ceasefire agreement that came into force last Sunday. Already almost a week ago, Hamas had released three kidnapped civilians. The soldiers who are now released are the second hostage group that is released. In the Gaza Strip, 90 are still held from Israel, of which Israeli information has been declared dead.

Before the four women at the age of 19 and 20 climbed into the Red Cross vehicles, they were led to a stage. There they waved smiling – whether from free pieces or under threats, it was unclear. After a few minutes, the convoy left the place.

Shortly after handing over to the Red Cross, women aged 19 to 20 years were brought home by Israeli soldiers. Right behind the border there was an emotionally charged reunion with the parents, other relatives were waiting in a hospital in Zentralrael, where the former hostages in the military helicopter were flown. Israel’s President Izchak Duke wrote on X: “Daniella, Liri, Naama and Karina – you are heroic! Welcome back home!”

The released are Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Karina Ariev and Daniella Gilboa. During the terrorist attack of the Islamist Hamas on October 7, 2023, they were deported to the Gaza strip from the Nauntal OZ army base. The young women belonged to the team of scouts, whose task was to observe processes at the border.

However, irritation caused a civilian with whose release the Israeli government had expected the hosted hostages this Saturday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office then said that residents of the Gaza Strip must not return to the north of the area until the woman is released. Army spokesman Daniel Hagari accused Hamas of violating the agreements about the release of hostages. After that, the release of civilians should have priority to soldiers.

In the coming weeks, the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, another 26 hostages are to be released. According to the Ynet news page, eight of them should no longer be alive.

“After 477 long days of the nerve -wracking waiting, we could finally see Liri, hug and know that she is with us – safe and enveloped by the love of her family,” said a statement by the 19 -year -old family. “Liri has shown superhuman strength and went through hell.”

Also the families of the other three women published, in which they expressed their joy and relief, but at the same time reminded of the fate of the remaining hostages.

The Gaza Agreement stipulates that Israel releases 50 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons for each soldier, including 30 people who serve a life sentence. The prison authority reported in the afternoon that 200 prisoners were released in accordance with the agreement. About 130 arrived in the West Bank in the afternoon. At the same time, around 70 Palestinians were brought to Egypt. While 107 ex-prisoners remain in the West Bank, others come to Israel and Jordan to East Jerusalem, in the Gaza Stripes.

When the buses of the Red Cross in Ramallah arrived in the West Bank, a large amount gathered. Some of the ex-prisoners seemed incredulously when they left the buses, others were relieved by the release. The 30-year-old Mahmud Bisharat, who had been sentenced to a ten-year prison sentence for a knife attack, told the German Press Agency: “We lived in hell. We were like deaths who lived in graves. But thank God we are out.” The past 15 months have been “like 20 years”.