Who are the 4 Israeli hostages released by Hamas as part of ceasefire deal?

1. Who are the 4 Israeli hostages released by Hamas as part of ceasefire deal?

Who are the 4 Israeli hostages released by Hamas as part of ceasefire deal? ByHT News Desk Jan 25, 2025 06:37 PM IST Share Via Copy Link Hamas released 4 Israeli women soldiers held for over a year as part of ceasefire deal. The soldiers were paraded in Gaza before being handed to the Red Cross.

In another breakthrough in keeping the Gaza ceasefire promises, Hamas released four Israeli women soldiers kept as hostages for over a year on Saturday. The release was marked by a huge gathering of Palestinians in Gaza City, where the four soldiers, dressed in military fatigues, were paraded on the stage before they handed over the Red Cross to be taken to Israel.

Four female Israeli soldiers, who had been held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, are released by Hamas militants as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza City, January 25, 2025.(REUTERS)

Hamas has said that in return, 200 prisoners will be released by Israel as part of the deal. The exchange is a part of the three-phase Gaza ceasefire deal that aims at putting an end to the 15-month-long Israel-Gaza war.

The four hostages released by Hamas on Saturday are - Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag. They were captured by Hamas during the group’s ambush in Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war. They were posted at the Nahal Oz base near the Gaza border when Hamas stormed into Israel and took them hostage.

Liri Albag, 19, is one of the soldiers released on Saturday by Hamas. The group made and released a video of her earlier this month in which she can be heard urging the Israeli government to accelerate the ceasefire deal and secure her release. The video could not be verified independently by ht.com.

Liri’s family has been active in pushing the Israeli government to make efforts to bring the hostages back. Her family’s wait ended on Saturday. She was 18 when she was abducted.

After her video was released by Hamas, her father said, “Liri, if you’re hearing us, tell the others that all the families are moving heaven and earth and want their children home, and we will fight until all hostages are returned,” said an AP report.

According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli campaign by the families of hostages, she loves travelling, singing, photography and cooking.

Karina Ariev, 20, was seen wounded in a video of her capture by Hamas, according to an AFP report. In another video released by Hamas in January 2024, she was seen with a fellow hostage Daniella Gilboa, who was released with her on Saturday.

“If I don’t live, take care of mom and dad all their lives. Don’t give up, live,” she said in a message to her family right before being kidnapped by Hamas, AP reported quoting Israeli media. She loves to cook, sing, dance and write poetry, said her family.

"She dreams of becoming a psychologist and is known for being compassionate and for bringing people together," said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Daniella Gilboa, 20, is from Israel’s Petah Tikva city and her name was changed from Danielle to Daniella under a Jewish belief to bring her god’s protection, AP reported.

She was seen being forced into a jeep and suffering a foot injury in a video that showed her capture by Hamas.

According to an AFP report, she sent videos to her boyfriend on the morning of October 7, 2023, and was identified as a hostage by the clothes she was seen wearing in those videos.

Gilboa "is a passionate musician who studies piano and singing, aspiring to pursue a professional career in music," said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

One of the videos of Naama Levy, 20, being kidnapped by Hamas was in wide circulation and showed her grey sweatpants covered in blood, reported AP. She is also a triathlete and was part of a delegation called “Hands of Peace” that aimed at bringing together Americans, Israelis and Palestinians to coexist peacefully when she was younger.

She grew up in India, says an AFP report, and studied in a United States international school and is the second of four siblings. She is also the granddaughter of a Nazi death camp survivor.