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Israel is expected to release 200 Palestinian prisoners in the second prisoner exchange since the ceasefire agreement came into effect.
The Palestinian group Hamas on Saturday, January 25, handed over four Israeli female hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross, reports Reuters.
In particular, the militants released four Israeli soldiers, Karina Ariev, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levi, and Liri Albagh, who were stationed at an observation post on the Gaza border and were kidnapped by Hamas during an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The hostages are released in exchange for a group of Palestinian prisoners under a ceasefire agreement.
Hamas said Israel is expected to release 200 prisoners on Saturday as part of the exchange. prisoners, some of them are serving life sentences.
The exchange scheduled for Saturday will be the second since it went into effect on Sunday, January 19. ceasefire agreement and Hamas handed over three Israeli civilians in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners.
The ceasefire agreement, reached after months of negotiations brokered by Qatar and Egypt and supported by the US, halted hostilities for the first time since a truce that lasted only a week in November 2023.
Beyond Gaza, the war has affected the entire region, transforming the Middle East. Iran, which had spent billions building a network of militant groups around Israel, has seen its “axis of resistance” virtually destroyed. Meanwhile, in Syria, rebels have toppled the regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad.
