Hamas on Saturday freed four female Israeli soldiers in a second round of releases under a ceasefire deal but Israel has accused Hamas of failing to fulfill its obligations to release civilians first.
Following their release, Israel has freed 200 Palestinian prisoners from detention centers, including 121 prisoners who had been sentenced to life imprisonment.
The four hostages freed Saturday – Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, all 20 years old, and Liri Albag, 19 – had been held in Gaza since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.
All four are in a stable condition, according Dr. Lena Koren Feldman, the director of Beilinson Hospital, where the women are being assessed.
Hamas militants took the women, dressed in makeshift military uniforms, on stage in Palestine Square in Gaza City before handing them to the Red Cross. They appeared elated as they waved to the crowds, with Israelis visibly emotional as they watched the live pictures in Hostages Square, Tel Aviv.
Hamas put on show of force during the handover, waving green flags and displaying a poster of current and former Israeli leaders alongside the word “failure,” in what seemed to be a message to Israeli that it remained powerful despite being battered by the Gaza offensive.
Soon after the releases, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said that civilians in Gaza would not be allowed to move to their homes in northern Gaza as planned – because an Israeli female civilian due to be released Saturday was not among those freed.
Israel has been pushing for the release of Arbel Yehud, 29, who was kidnapped from her home in kibbutz Nir Oz. Israel says she is a civilian and should have been released Saturday.
Israel asked the administration of US President Donald Trump to press Hamas to abide by the terms of the deal and free Yehud, an Israeli official familiar with the matter told CNN Saturday.
Israel conveyed the message to Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, the official added. CNN has reached out to the Trump administration for comment.
A senior source in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, PIJ, told CNN on Saturday that it holds Yehud, claiming she was a soldier and “was being held captive by (the PIJ’s military wing) al-Quds Brigades as a trained soldier in the Israeli army’s space program.” There is no evidence that Yehud has had such a role.
A second PIJ source outside Gaza told CNN that Yehud was alive.
An Israeli official confirmed to CNN that the Israeli military would not allow Gazan civilians to cross into the north until Yehud was in the hands of Israel or until the process of her release starts.
Israeli military fires towards Palestinians attempting to return home
Hundreds of displaced people hoping to return to their homes in the north fled in panic after the Israeli military opened fire to prevent them from crossing into northern Gaza, CNN footage shows.
The Israeli military had warned people earlier in the day that they could not travel north past the Netzarim Corridor – which divides the territory – as planned, saying that Hamas had failed to release Yehud during the latest hostage release.
In anticipation of being allowed to return, scores of families had gathered at Al Rasheed street – the coastal road to the north. But amid gunfire they scattered, many ducking to the ground. It is unclear whether there were any casualties.
The Israeli military said its troops “only fired warning shots” after they identified dozens of “suspects that posed a threat to the forces.”
“We emphasize that, as of now, we are unaware of any harm caused to the suspects as a result of the shooting,” it added.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari earlier said the four hostages released Saturday had been reunited with their families. The family of Daniella Gilboa expressed their joy at her release from Gaza.
“We just want to hug her, to see her and hug her. And to say to her that she is safe now and everybody is waiting for her,” Gilboa’s aunt, Dekele Sherabi, told CNN.
After reuniting with family, the four soldiers were transported from Re’im in southern Israel to Beilinson hospital, arriving in two separate military helicopters. A few hundred Israelis gathered around the helipad near the hospital to receive them.
A white curtain was raised for the hostages’ privacy as they moved from the helicopters to the vans that would carry them inside the medical facility.
Emotional scenes as Palestinian prisoners are released
The Israeli prison service confirmed Saturday that 200 Palestinian prisoners had been released from detention facilities as part of the ceasefire and hostage release deal.
They included 121 prisoners who had been sentenced to life imprisonment. Among them were Mohammad Odeh, Wael Qassim and Wissam Abbasi, who were arrested in 2002 for a string of deadly bombings targeting Israelis in crowded civilian areas. All three were serving life sentences for their involvement in the attacks.
According to a list published by the Palestinian Prisoners Office and the Palestinian Prisoners Society, nearly half of the released prisoners are men in their 20s and 30s. Two children – both 15 years old – were also freed, according to the list.
The documents do not mention on what grounds the individuals were detained but did list party affiliation – including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group.
Most of the Palestinians who were freed were transported to the occupied West Bank but 70 of the detainees considered to be dangerous by Israel are being deported outside of Israel and Palestinian territories, according to the Israeli prison service.
Reported by CNN
