GAZA: Hamas has released four female Israeli soldiers held in Gaza as part of the ceasefire agreement, handing them over to Red Cross officials in Palestine Square in Gaza City.
In exchange for the second release of the captives on Saturday, Israel is expected to release 200 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
Ahead of the release in Gaza, scores of masked Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters gathered at the square where a large crowd of Palestinians also congregated.
In addition to hundreds of Hamas members, other Palestinian factions, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, were also present at the site.
Representatives of the Red Cross and a Hamas fighter were seen signing documents ahead of the release.
Hamas identified the four female Israeli soldiers as Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag. The four captives, who were in Israeli military uniforms, waved to the crowd as they were released.
Ibrahim Al Khaliji, reporting for Al Jazeera from Palestine Square, described the release as a “historic moment”.
Later on Saturday, the Israeli army confirmed it received the released soldiers from the Red Cross, adding that they will undergo a medical assessment.
“The four returning hostages are currently being accompanied by IDF [Israeli army] special forces and ISA [security agency] forces on their return to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment,” the army said in a statement.
However, a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Palestinians will not beallowed to return to northern Gaza until Arbel Yehoud, one of the captives, is released. The statement said Yehoud was supposed to have been released on Saturday.
In the coming hours, Israel is also expected to release 200 detained Palestinians from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank and Ketziot Prison in the Negev desert.
Of the 200, 121 are serving life sentences, while 79 are serving long sentences. The oldest prisoner is 69 years old while the youngest is just 15. Seventy Palestinians are due to be deported withEgypt expected to host them for 48 hours.
They will consequently be sent to Tunisia, Algeria and Turkey, which all agreed to receive them.
In Tel Aviv’s central square, dubbed Hostages Square, a big screen showed the faces of the four female soldiers that were released. In the crowd, people waved Israeli flags, while some held posters with the captives’ faces.
