Hamas to Release Four Female Israeli Soldiers Under Ceasefire Deal

Gaza, MINA – Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades, announced that as part of the Al-Aqsa Flood agreement, four Israeli female soldiers will be released on Saturday, Anadolu Agency reported.

In a statement on Telegram, Abu Obeida named the prisoners as Karina Arif, Daniel Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Elbag. The release is part of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.

Usually, Hamas does not disclose in advance when Israeli prisoners will be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which then hands them over to the Israeli side.

However, a source indicated that the transfer is likely to take place on Saturday afternoon.

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A Palestinian source close to Hamas stated that this process will resemble the handover that took place last Sunday and during the previous ceasefire in late November 2023.

According to the source, “The Qassam Brigades and other resistance factions will release the four prisoners on Saturday, ahead of the agreed time.”

“The ICRC will be informed of the specific time and location for the handover, following established protocols,” the source added.

Under the terms of the agreement, Israel is expected to release some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners during the first phase of the deal, which lasts for 42 days, in exchange for 33 Israeli prisoners identified on a list provided by Hamas.

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Israel believes that 25 of these prisoners are still alive. On the first day of the ceasefire last Sunday, three of the surviving prisoners were released in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners, mainly from the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

The current ceasefire between Hamas and Israel began last Sunday. The initial phase includes ongoing negotiations for the next phase. []

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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