Hamas hands over four Israeli hostages to ICRC in second swap

Hamas handed over four Israeli female soldiers to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza City on Saturday morning.

Live footage showed the hostages entering ICRC vehicles in Gaza City Square after being escorted onto a stage by Hamas members. Wearing green military uniforms, the soldiers were seen waving and smiling as they were led into the custody of the Red Cross. 

Hamas said 200 Palestinian prisoners were to be freed on Saturday as part of the exchange, including 120 serving life sentences and 70 that will be deported.

Hundreds of armed Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) members were seen gathered in the Square, as Palestinians gathered to witness the second exchange of Israeli hostages since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire came into effect. 

The four 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 October 7, 2023.

The Israeli military confirmed it received the four hostages shortly after they were transferred to the ICRC. 

Footage published by the Israeli military showed the released hostages' family members cheering as they watched their transfer live on screen. They were later seen embracing one another after being reunited, as shown in a photo shared by the military. 

The exchange is the second of several scheduled swaps agreed under the conditions of the ceasefire, which came into effect on Sunday. 

However, Israel said Hamas did not oblige to the agreement after failing to release Israeli civilian Arbel Yehud, who was reportedly expected to be freed on Saturday. Hamas officials told Reuters Yehud was alive and will be returned next Saturday, adding a technical issue caused the delay. 

In response, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said Palestinians were not permitted to return to northern Gaza until the issue was resolved. 

Thousands of displaced Palestinians were due to begin returning to the north on Sunday. 

On Saturday afternoon, Israel confirmed 200 Palestinian prisoners were released. They were transported on buses from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank to several areas. Sixteen prisoners arrived in Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, 70 were deported to Egypt, while the remaining freed prisoners were sent to Ramallah in the central West Bank. 

Scores of Palestinians gathered to welcome the newly released prisoners, including the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner, Mohammed al-Tous, who has been in detention for nearly 40 years. 

Hamas is expected to release 33 Israeli captives over six weeks during the first phase of the ceasefire, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including women and children.

The first exchange saw the release of three female civilian Israeli hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners, all of whom were women and children.

The terms of the second and third phases of the ceasefire are yet to be detailed, however, they are likely to entail the release of more hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.

The deal was mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US after 15 months of violence that killed over 47,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Around 90 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza after Saturday's exchange. The Israeli military said a third of the hostages have been killed.