Agencies
Gaza
Hamas has released four female Israeli soldiers held in Gaza and 200 Palestinian prisoners have been released from Israeli jails as part of the ceasefire agreement that halted more than 15 months of war.
On Saturday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed that it had transferred 128 Palestinian detainees to Gaza and the West Bank while local authorities handled the release and transfer of the remainder, completing the second exchange under the deal that took effect last Sunday.
Before the release in Gaza City’s Palestine Square, dozens of masked Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters gathered at the scene where a large crowd of Palestinians also congregated.
The four women – Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag – were marched onto a podium where they waved and smiled – likely under duress. They were then led into ICRC vehicles, which transported them to Israeli forces.
Later on Saturday, buses carrying released Palestinian prisoners were seen departing from the Israeli Ofer military prison in the occupied West Bank, soon after the Israeli captives were freed.
Israel’s Prison Service said all 200 prisoners were released in line with the list published by Hamas. The releases on either side were welcomed by cheering crowds of Palestinians in the city of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, and by Israelis in Tel Aviv. page 5