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The Hamas Movement, the de-facto ruler of the Gaza Strip, freed on January 25 four female Israeli soldiers who were taken hostage during the October 7 attack of 2023.
Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag, all aged between 19 and 20, were released to the Red Cross in Gaza City in the northern part of the Strip. In exchange, 200 Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli jails.
Israel accused Hamas of breaching the terms of the ceasefire agreement, which came into effect on January 19, because female civilian hostage Arbel Yehud was not included and has delayed the planned return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.
In response, Hamas said that the hostage in question will be released next weekend without providing any details.
Despite the dispute, Israel released the Palestinian prisoners, including 70 people who were immediately deported to neighbouring countries via Egypt due to the seriousness of their offences.
Some of the prisoners will be transferred to Gaza. However, others will be allowed to return to their homes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
It’s worth noting that the four Israeli hostages were released in a heavily-choreographed handover involving dozens of Hamas fighters.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari slammed Hamas for the ceremonial handover, describing it as cruel.
“Hamas is a murderous terror group. In the last few hours, Hamas proved its cruelty by organizing a cynical ceremony,” he said, adding that Hamas “presented a misrepresentation of treatment and care for the hostages, while in reality, it is cruelly holding for 477 days innocent civilians.”
“The mission will not end until all of them return to Israel,” he added.
The swap on Saturday was the second exchange since the ceasefire agreement, brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, came into effect. Three hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners were released in the first swap a week ago.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Israel should withdraw its troops from some positions inside Gaza.
However, the military said on January 25 that its troops still deployed inside the Gaza Strip opened fire on several threats.
In central Gaza, the military said that it identified several gatherings of dozens of suspects, “who posed a threat to troops.” In response, troops fired warning shots to disperse them. It added that contrary to reports in Palestinian media that one person was killed and some two dozen were wounded, all of its gunfire were warning shots not aimed directly at anyone.
“We emphasize that as of now, we are unaware of suspects being hit by the gunfire,” the military said in a statement.
“The IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] is determined to fully implement the terms of the agreement to return the hostages. The IDF is prepared for any scenario, and will continue to take all necessary actions to remove any immediate threat to IDF soldiers,” it elaborated.
“The IDF once again calls on Palestinian civilians to obey IDF instructions and not approach the forces deployed in the area,” it added.
While the ceasefire in Gaza is facing several issues, both Israel and Hamas appear to be determined to go on with the agreement. Still this may not mean the end of the war. Once the remaining Israeli captives in the Strip are freed, the Israeli government may go back.
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