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PRISONERS EXCHANGE

Dozens of Hamas fighters gather in Gaza City square

Dozens of Hamas fighters gather in Gaza City square

Hamas fighters gather in a square in Gaza City ahead of the release of four Israeli hostages, Jan. 25, 2025. (Photo: AFP)

Dozens of armed Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters assembled Saturday in a square in Gaza City, where four Israeli female soldiers are to be handed over to the Red Cross as part of a new prisoner exchange, according to an AFP journalist.

Masked and uniformed members of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, arrived first in pickup trucks around 9:30 a.m. local time (7:30 a.m. GMT), followed by fighters from the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad.

Two sources within Hamas and Islamic Jihad told AFP that the four Israeli soldiers would be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at this square in the al-Saha neighborhood in Old Gaza. This is the second prisoner exchange under the truce that took effect last Sunday, following 15 months of war.

Hundreds of people waving Palestinian flags and banners of the two Islamist movements gathered in the decorated square.

A massive Palestinian flag was unfurled from the top of a one-story building, a former shopping center still standing. Fighters paraded on a stage displaying a Hebrew slogan reading, ''Zionism will not triumph.''

Israel and Hamas confirmed Friday that Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, Liri Albag and Naama Levy, captured on the morning of October 7, 2023, during Hamas' attack on Israel, were to be released Saturday after 477 days in captivity. In exchange, Israel will release several dozen Palestinian prisoners from its jails.

Dozens of armed Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters assembled Saturday in a square in Gaza City, where four Israeli female soldiers are to be handed over to the Red Cross as part of a new prisoner exchange, according to an AFP journalist.Masked and uniformed members of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, arrived first in pickup trucks around 9:30 a.m. local time (7:30 a.m. GMT),...