On January 25, Hamas handed over four Israeli female hostages, who are soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, to the Red Cross. Israeli special forces escorted them out of Gaza. In exchange, Israel released 200 Palestinian prisoners.
Points of attention
- The exchange between Hamas and Israel on January 25 involved the release of four Israeli female IDF soldiers in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners.
- The released hostages, Karina Ar'yeva, Daniella Gilboa, Naamah Levi, and Liri Albag, were in good physical condition and were reunited with their families after 477 days in captivity.
- Israel also released prominent militants, including Mohammed Odeh and Wael Qasim, accused of carrying out deadly attacks on Israelis.
- The exchange highlighted the ongoing tensions and negotiations between Israel and Hamas, showcasing the complexities of conflicts in the region.
- The involvement of the Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross in the handover emphasized the importance of humanitarian efforts in resolving such delicate situations.
4 Israeli Hamas hostages return home
A convoy of Red Cross vehicles, as well as five SUVs without identification marks, arrived at the square in Gaza City to hand over the hostages.
The hostages, IDF soldiers Karina Ar'yeva, Daniella Gilboa, Naamah Levi, and Liri Albag, were in the unknown cars.
Hamas officially handed them over to the International Committee of the Red Cross, after which the women were brought onto the stage in military uniform and with "gift packages" given to them by Hamas.
רגע השחרור בכיכר החטופים pic.twitter.com/ToQKah5hEx
— Yoni Haimovich 🎗 יוני חיימוביץ (@YoniHaimovich) January 25, 2025
Following the ceremony, the ICRC delivered the four women to the IDF. They will be taken to a facility near the border for an initial check-up and to meet their parents for the first time after 477 days in Hamas captivity.
It is also noted that another female intelligence officer, Agam Berger, who was kidnapped by Hamas among five women from the Nahal Oz base on October 7, 2023, remains in captivity.
The freed hostages met with their parents at an IDF facility near Reims, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: "They are in safe hands and are returning home."
At the same time, he criticized Hamas for organizing the hostage handover ceremony, calling it cynical.
Hagari says Hamas "distorted information about the treatment and care of hostages, while in reality it has been brutally holding innocent civilians for 477 days."
The IDF military later reported that the released hostages, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naamah Levi, and Liri Albagh, were in relatively good physical condition and did not require special medical intervention on site.
Israel releases 200 Palestinian prisoners
On January 25, as part of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, Israel released 200 Palestinian prisoners.
The prisoners released included prominent militants, including Mohammed Odeh, 52, and Wael Qassim, 54, from East Jerusalem. They were accused of carrying out a series of deadly Hamas attacks on Israelis, including the 2002 bombing of a Hebrew University cafeteria in Jerusalem that killed nine people, including five U.S. citizens.
Also on the list of those released is 42-year-old Mohammed Arade, an Islamic Jihad militant who became popular among Palestinians after escaping from an Israeli prison in 2021.
At the same time, Israel said it would not allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza until Arbel Yehud, one of dozens of hostages held by Hamas, is released.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Yehud was due to be released on Saturday as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal.
