
Posters of Israeli hostages (from left to right): Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Karina Ariev and Daniela Gilboa, held in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, Jan. 24, 2025. (Credit: AFP)
Hamas is expected to release four Israeli female soldiers on Saturday, held hostage in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, in exchange for several dozen Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. This is the second such exchange under the Gaza truce agreement.
Nearly a week after the cease-fire came into effect, largely upheld, the Palestinian Islamist group released the names of the four young women, aged 19 to 20, on Friday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed it received the list via mediators.
The Hostage Families Forum expressed relief in a statement: "We celebrate the anticipated release of Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, Liri Albag and Naama Levy after 477 days of captivity." The women were performing military service, assigned to monitor Gaza, when they were abducted during Hamas’ commando raid on southern Israel.
The number of Palestinian detainees to be released in exchange has not been disclosed. Israeli prison services stated that some detainees would be returned to Gaza and others to the occupied West Bank.
33 hostages for 1,900 detainees
"The al-Qassam Brigades and other groups will release the four female prisoners on Saturday," handing them over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a source close to Hamas told AFP anonymously.
The exchange is part of the truce that began Sunday after over 15 months of war. The first phase, scheduled to last six weeks, involves the release of 33 hostages in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.
Following the January 19 release of three young Israeli hostages in exchange for 90 Palestinian detainees, primarily women and minors, 26 more Israeli hostages remain eligible for release in the first phase. All names have been submitted, but no release schedule has been confirmed, leaving families in anguish.
Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack resulted in 1,210 Israeli deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data. Of the 251 individuals taken hostage, 91 remain in Gaza, including 34 confirmed dead by the Israeli military. Hamas has claimed others have died, but without Israeli confirmation.
"Last chance"
"Bring back all the hostages, alive and those who have sadly perished," urged Zahiro Shahar Mor during a support rally in Tel Aviv on Friday night. Many fear the Israeli government may resume hostilities in Gaza once the first phase concludes.
In response to the attack, Israel launched an offensive in the besieged Gaza Strip, resulting in at least 47,283 deaths, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The operation has caused a humanitarian disaster.
While the cease-fire has been mostly respected, sporadic incidents have occurred. Displaced Gazans eager to return home often find only rubble. "We have nowhere to pitch our tents because of the destruction," said Theqra Qasem, a displaced resident.
The truce has allowed thousands of humanitarian aid trucks to enter Gaza in less than a week.
Israel on Friday ordered the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), accused of Hamas infiltration, to cease its operations in Jerusalem.
The warning, issued via a letter from Israel’s UN ambassador, follows new laws targeting the agency, raising concerns about the future of its health and education services in Gaza and the West Bank.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini criticized the decision on X (formerly Twitter), warning it could "undermine the Gaza cease-fire and once again shatter the hopes of those who have endured unimaginable suffering."