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Hamas announced it will release four Israeli female soldiers on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, marking the second prisoner swap under the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
The detainees, identified as Karina Ariev, Daniel Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Elbaz, were stationed at a monitoring post near Gaza during the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation on October 7, 2023.
According to Hamas's detainee affairs office, 200 Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released in exchange, including 120 serving life sentences and 80 with long-term sentences.
This swap follows the first exchange, which took place last Sunday, involving the release of three Israeli detainees in return for 90 Palestinian prisoners.
While Hamas has confirmed the names of the four detainees to be freed in the second swap, the Israeli government has not commented and may withhold official confirmation until their arrival.
The ceasefire agreement, facilitated by Qatar, Egypt, and supported by the United States, took effect after months of negotiations. It halted the fighting for the first time since a brief week-long truce in November 2023.
Under the agreement, Hamas committed to releasing 33 detainees in the first six-week phase in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, while Israel agreed to withdraw forces from certain positions in Gaza.
The next phase of the agreement will involve negotiations over the remaining detainees and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, following a 15-month-long conflict.
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack. Gaza health authorities report that the subsequent Israeli offensive claimed the lives of over 47,000 Palestinians.
Following last week’s release of three detainees and the retrieval of a soldier’s remains missing for ten years, Israeli authorities state that 94 Israelis and foreigners remain detained in Gaza, though the condition of many remains unclear.
Reuters