The IDF confirmed that hostages Karina Ariev, Liri Albag, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy returned to Israeli territory after being transferred from Hamas captivity to the Red Cross on Saturday.
The four female IDF soldiers taken hostage by Hamas had earlier been transferred by the terror organization, in military uniform, to the Red Cross in Gaza City.
כשהן מחייכות מול מאות מחבלים: לירי, דניאלה, קרינה ונעמה מועברות לידי הצלב האדום@anastasia___stu pic.twitter.com/OSD7bE0IVe
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) January 25, 2025
The hostages were seen holding bags similar to the ones given to the three hostages released last week. The bag given last week included Arabic language completion certificates and photos of the hostages' time in captivity.
The four released hostages then boarded an IAF helicopter with their parents and then touched down at the Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus in Petah Tikva in order to receive medical treatment, the IDF announced.
The Prime Minister's Office welcomed the release of former hostages Karina Ariev, Naama Levy, Daniella Gilboa, and Liri Albag in a Saturday morning statement.
"The Israeli government embraces the four returning IDF soldiers. Their families have been informed by the designated authorities that they have been transferred to the IDF," the statement read. "The Israeli government is committed to the return of all the remaining hostages."
תיעוד: משפחותיהן של נעמה, קרינה, לירי ודניאלה צופות בהגעת המסוק לביה"ח בילינסון https://t.co/ARPoPzEm4L pic.twitter.com/JejgdXlooi
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) January 25, 2025
Ahead of the hostage transfer, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists, along with Gazan civilians, congregated in Palestine Square of Gaza City ahead of the planned release of Israeli hostages in the second week of the ceasefire.
A banner reading "Zionism won't win" in Hebrew featuring the logos of Mossad and Amman appeared on a live Al Jazeera stream among the Hamas and Palestinian flags being flown at the site.
The handover is imminent, with hundreds of terrorists occupying the square, according to Al Jazeera. The Qatari state media source also said that there are more Hamas terrorists physically at the location of the hostage swap than the one on Sunday.
Noted by the Qatari media giant was the number of guns and vehicles, in addition to terrorists, at the dispense of the terror group - despite 15 months of war.
⭕ LIVE: Hamas is set to release four Israeli captives held in Gaza. https://t.co/vjXQ0wSN8g
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 25, 2025
After the hostages are released, Israel released about 200 security prisoners, Israel's prison service said. Israel is later expected to withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor - an area which separates northern and southern Gaza.
Hamas said that 70 of the 200 Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel on Saturday would be deported outside of Gaza and the West Bank - being sent to countries like Turkey, Egypt, Qatar and Algeria.
Buses carrying the prisoners were seen departing from Ofer military prison in the West Bank, soon after the Israeli hostages were freed.
A team from the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza were on the way on Saturday to collect Israeli hostages from Hamas, an official involved in the operation told Reuters. Red Cross vehicles entered southern Gaza to retrieve the hostages, and their parents were waiting for them at the IDF base in Kibbutz Re'im.
Before the hostages were released, the IDF stated that it had completed preparations to return the hostages from the Gaza Strip to Israel. The Israeli military was also preparing for the possibility that Hamas will try to create psychological terror during their release, Walla reported.
The IDF's Manpower Directorate and Medical Corps have established initial absorption points where immediate medical care and personal support will be provided to the released hostages, the military noted.
IDF process in preparing to retrieve the hostages
IDF Col. (res.) Sharon Nakash, who is also the commanding officer in the Operation "Wings of Freedom," the name of the initiative to return Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity, said, "Amid all of this, I can say that we are all excited.
"Reservists and regular soldiers feel they are doing the most important work. It is both a privilege and our moral duty to do this. I believe the preparations we have made so far will reflect our ability to carry out the mission properly and bring our songs and daughters back home in a proper and respectful way."
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said that the release of the four hostages "is an an integral part of our victory in this war" and noted the military's commitment "to bringing back all the hostages, both civilians and soldiers."
Saturday's exchange is the second since a ceasefire began on January 19 and Hamas handed over three Israeli female civilians in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners.