Hamas Releases 4 Female Hostages; Israel to Free Hundreds of 'Security Prisoners'

In the second step of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas, the Palestinian group backed by the Iranian government, handed over four female hostages to Israel today, who had been held since October 7, 2023. In exchange for each of these hostages, who are Israeli soldiers, Israel will release 50 Palestinian prisoners serving sentences on security charges. The four hostages are soldiers Karina Arif, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levi, and Liri Albag, who were first taken to a military center near the border for initial examination and then transferred to a hospital to meet their families. They met their families for the first time after 477 days. The Red Cross will facilitate the transfer of the released Palestinian security prisoners to Gaza following the release of the four Israeli hostages by Hamas. On Friday, February 5, Hamas announced the names of the four Israeli female soldiers who would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in the second swap under the ceasefire agreement. This exchange, which took place on Saturday afternoon, follows the release of three Israeli women and 90 Palestinian prisoners on the first day of the ceasefire last Sunday, marking the first such exchange in over a year. In the first phase of the six-week ceasefire, Israel agreed to release 50 Palestinian prisoners for each female soldier freed, indicating that 200 Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for these four soldiers. The Hamas prisoners' media office previously stated that they would likely receive the names of these 200 Palestinians in the coming hours, adding that the list is expected to include 120 prisoners serving life sentences and 80 prisoners with other long-term sentences. Since the release of three female hostages last Sunday and the discovery of the body of an Israeli soldier missing for a decade, Israel has stated that 94 Israeli and foreign citizens are being held in Gaza. The multi-phase ceasefire agreement, reached after months of negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt and supported by the United States, has halted the conflict for the first time since November 2023, following a ceasefire that lasted only a week. In the first phase, Hamas agreed to release 33 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails. In the next phase, both sides will negotiate the exchange of remaining hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The phased release of hostages has been met with protests and concerns from some Israelis, who argue that after the release of women, children, the elderly, and sick hostages in the first phase, the agreement may fall apart, leaving the fate of male hostages of military age uncertain. Several Israeli officials, including the Minister of Finance, have called for the resumption of war at the end of the first phase.