Four Israeli soldiers were exchanged for 200 Palestinians; North Gaza has been shut down by Reuters

By Mayan Lubel, Nidal al-Mughrabi and Dawud Abu Alqas

JERUSALEM/CAIRO/GAZA (Reuters) – Hamas on Saturday agreed to release four female Israeli soldiers in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners in Gaza, despite a delay in the release of another hostage, despite possible reconciliation talks. Israel has halted the return of Gazans to the enclave. The north was bombarded.

The four freed Israelis were led to a platform in Gaza City where Palestinians had gathered and dozens of armed Hamas men. They waved and smiled before getting into Red Cross trucks to be transported to Israeli soldiers.

Busloads of recently released Palestinian prisoners were seen leaving Israel’s Ofer military prison in the occupied West Bank. Israel’s prison service said 200 had been released.

Freed Israelis on both sides were greeted by jubilant crowds, including Palestinians gathered in Tel Aviv and Ramallah.

But after Hamas failed to free another hostage, a female Israeli civilian, Israel announced plans to push Palestinians back into northern Gaza, the worst part of the war. Hamas has said it will release her next week, calling the halt to the reopening of the north a violation of the truce.

In the first phase of 6 weeks, Hamas will demand the release of 33 women, children, elderly, sick and wounded hostages, while Israel will release 30 prisoners for every civilian and 50 prisoners for every soldier.

The four Israeli soldiers who were freed on Saturday – Karina Ariyev, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levy and Leary Albagh – were all captured by Hamas fighters at an observation post on the Gaza Strip in an October 7, 2023, attack. Against Israel who initiated the war.

Their parents wept with joy when they saw it on the screen, watching a live broadcast from a nearby war camp across the border. In Tel Aviv, hundreds of Israelis gathered in what is now widely known as a rally, crying, hugging and cheering, as it was broadcast on a giant screen.

The women were reunited with their families and taken by helicopter to a hospital in central Israel. A video released by the Israeli army showed them hugging tightly with their parents, smiling and in tears.

The 200 Palestinians freed on Saturday included militants, some of whom had been sentenced to life in prison for taking part in attacks that killed dozens of people, according to a list published by Hamas.

Israel says that people accused of killing Israelis will not be allowed to return to their country. About 70 will be deported to Egypt, Palestinian officials said, and then to another country, possibly Turkey, Qatar or Algeria.

Another 16 were sent to Gaza, and the rest were released to the Israeli-controlled West Bank.

Litigation

Arbel Yuhud, 29, who was abducted from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz with her friend, was not among those released on Saturday as a result of Saturday’s release in Israel.

Israel’s military spokesman called the violation of the truce a technical issue. A Hamas official said the group had informed mediators that she was alive and would be released next Saturday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Palestinians in Gaza will not be allowed to cross into the northern part of the territory until the issue is resolved.

Palestinian officials said up to 650,000 displaced people were waiting to return to the north on Sunday under a cease-fire. Eyewitnesses said Israeli soldiers were blocking the road to the north and opened fire.

Medics say one person has been killed in suspected Israeli fire, one of the few deaths reported since the start of the truce. Two others were injured. Reuters has asked the Israeli military for comment on the incident.

Israeli tanks continue to block the road to the north, he said.

Zaki Kashef, 26, told Reuters on a chat app that he would not return to his tent as he waited on the beach road to return north from Deir al-Balah, where he and his family have been sheltering for more than a year. “Where are the mediators? Why can’t they force Israel to honor the agreement?”

A months-long ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Egypt and backed by the United States ended the fighting for the first time in more than a year.

After Saturday’s release of 90 hostages, Israeli officials in Gaza said about a third had died in absentia.

In the first phase, 26 were still set to be released, after which the rest, including men of military age, were expected to be exchanged and left the Israeli army.

The families of the hostages, who will be released in later stages, worry that the ceasefire may collapse first. Some Israelis have countered criticism of the truce, saying Israel must continue the war to prevent Hamas from returning to power in Gaza. Hamas says it will not release all hostages until the war ends for good.

Israel launched its offensive in Gaza on October 7 after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages. Since then, the Israeli campaign has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to health officials there. More than 400 Israeli soldiers have also died in the Gaza war.