Gaza, MINA – Palestinian Resistances freed four female Israeli soldiers held in Gaza as part of a ceasefire deal, handing them over to Red Cross officials in Palestine Square in Gaza City on Saturday, Al Jazeera reported.
In return for the release of the four prisoners on Saturday, Israel is expected to free 200 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
Ahead of the releases, hundreds of Hamas members, other Palestinian factions, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, were also present.
A Red Cross representative and a Hamas fighter are seen signing documents ahead of the releases.
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Hamas identified the four Israeli female soldiers as Karina Riev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag. The four hostages, who were wearing Israeli military uniforms, waved to the crowd as they were freed.
Later on Saturday, the Israeli occupation army confirmed that it had received the freed soldiers from the Red Cross, adding that they would undergo medical examinations.
“The four returned hostages are currently accompanied by IDF [Israeli army] special forces and ISA [security agency] forces as they return to Israeli territory, where they will undergo initial medical examinations,” the army said in a statement.
As part of the deal, Israeli forces are also expected to withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor, allowing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to their homes in northern Gaza.
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Israel is also expected to open the Rafah border crossing in the south to allow more humanitarian aid and other commercial supplies to enter. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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