Israel Welcomes Four Female Hostages Home

January 27, 2025

by: Janet Aslin ~ Bridges for Peace

Monday, 27 January 2025 | For the second weekend in a row, Israelis were glued to their screens as another group of Hamas hostages was released after 477 days of captivity in Gaza.

Around midday on Saturday, Liri Albag (19), Karina Ariev (20), Danielle Gilboa (20), and Naama Levy (20) were returned to Israel and reunited with their jubilant family members. The exchange did not take place without a certain amount of tension, mainly due to the failure of Hamas to comply with the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

The tension began on Friday afternoon as Hamas was set to release the names of the captives to be freed as well as the condition of the remaining 26 hostages to be released in Phase One. When they came, the four names were not those of civilian Arbel Yehoud, Sheri Bibas and her two children as specified by the agreement but rather four female soldiers. Israel decided to proceed although Hamas had violated the negotiated agreement.

The young women released this weekend are among the seven female IDF field observers brutally abducted from the Nahal Oz base on October 7, 2023. Of the remaining three, Ori Megidish was rescued by the IDF shortly after she was taken hostage, Noa Marciano was murdered while in captivity and Agam Berger is scheduled to be released this coming Thursday.

Before they were handed over to the International Red Cross for transfer to the IDF, the four women were forced to take part in a propaganda event staged by Hamas in Gaza City. Dressed in quasi-military uniforms, holding bags of gifts to commemorate their captivity, the four confidently walked beside their captors. One of the women told KAN TV news, “We showed them on the stage that we were not fazed. It had no impact on us. We are stronger than them.”

The IDF Medical Corps examined the women upon their release and found them in stable condition without need for special treatment. As was the case with the three women released previously, the four will receive the medical and psychological attention as needed under a protocol designed by the Health Ministry.

The first two weeks of Phase One have proven that implementation of the ceasefire agreement has not been easy. Hamas is a master at manipulation and psychological warfare. Israel’s leaders walk a fine line as they make decisions regarding when to allow the Hamas violations and when to stand firm and oppose them.

This weekend, Israel opted to forgo allowing the initial return of Gazans to the northern part of the Strip because Hamas substituted four female soldiers in place of the remaining women and children. Israel feared that the life of civilian Arbel Yehoud was at risk since she had not been released on January 25 as she should have been. As a means of putting pressure on the group, Israel decided not to open the Netzarim Crossing on Saturday evening. Beginning on Saturday, hundreds of Gazans crowded the road leading up to the crossing adding pressure to an already fragile situation.

In the end, Hamas agreed that two rounds prisoner releases will take place this coming week. On Thursday, Arbel Yehoud along with Agam Berger—the remaining female soldier—and one as-yet-to-be-identified hostage will be returned to Israel. Another three men will be released on Saturday.

The cost to Israel continues to be very high. Two hundred prisoners were released from Israeli prison on Saturday evening, including 120 who were serving life sentences for murder. Although Israel did not agree to the release of any terrorists who took part in the October 7 massacre, the list includes men like Mohammad Odeh (52) and Wael Qassim

(54), who were responsible for the deaths of nine people on the Hebrew University campus in 2002. By the completion of Phase 2 and 3, it is expected that up to 2,000 prisoners will be released.

The return of the hostages has been in the center of the hearts and minds of all Israelis since the government approved the ceasefire deal on January 17. We waited with bated breath for the first group of hostages to come home on January 19. And again on January 25. It will not truly be over until ALL the hostages have been returned, alive to resume their lives or dead to allow closure for their families.

CLICK HERE for a full view of the Gaza Ceasefire Fact Sheet!

Posted on January 27, 2025

Source: (Bridges for Peace, January 27, 2025)

Photo Credit: IDF Spokesperson/GPO

Photo License: Photo 1) Naama Levy

Photo License: Photo 2) Daniella Gilboa

Photo License: Photo 3) Liri Albag