ReutersFour female Israeli soldiers were released by Hamas on Saturday in the second hostage release of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag were handed to the Red Cross in Gaza City.
In exchange 200 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel are set to be freed.
The four women were serving as observers at the Nahal Oz army base on the border with Gaza when Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, 2023.
Their release is part of the second such exchange since the ceasefire came into effect last Sunday. Three hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners were released in the first swap.
In total, 33 hostages are set to be freed over six weeks in the first phase of the ceasefire, which came into effect on 19 January, 2025.
About 1,200 people were killed in the 7 October attack and 251 were taken back to Gaza as hostages.
More than 47,200 Palestinians, the majority civilians, have been killed in Israel’s offensive since then, the Hamas-run health ministry says.
Karina Ariev
ReutersKarina Ariev, 20, was serving at the Nahal Oz army base when she was kidnapped on 7 October, 2023.
Her sister Alexandra told the BBC she heard shooting as Karina called her during the attack, and later saw a video showing Karina being taken away in a vehicle.
“She called me to say goodbye, we could hear shooting,” she said.
“She was scared, crying, she was in panic. Her last message was ‘they’re here’, in the bomb shelter. This was the last contact we had with her.”
Alexandra then saw the video circulating on Telegram of her kidnapping. “We identified her, she had blood on her face, she was screaming.
“I would never wish anyone to feel this feeling,” she told the BBC. “Time has stopped.”
Naama Levy
ReutersNaama Levy, 20, was filmed being bundled into a jeep, her hands tied behind her back. The footage was released by Hamas and circulated widely on social media. According to her mother, the teenager had just begun her military service.
But she had previously been part of an Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative, and her family called her “a peace seeker”.
In a video of her kidnapping from the Nahal Oz army base, she was heard to tell her captors in English: “I have friends in Palestine.”
In May 2024 her brother, Amit, said her family released the footage to “encourage all sides to get back to the table” to solve “an unbearable humanitarian issue”.
“We feel like she’s handling the situation like the true superhero she is, like a hero fighting for her life.”
Daniela Gilboa
ReutersDaniela Gilboa, 20, was injured in the leg when she was kidnapped along with other female soldiers at Nahal Oz.
She has been seen in several videos, and in one last year asked the Israeli government why she had been “abandoned” and “discarded” while war raged around her.
Ms Gilboa’s mother, Orly, told the Jerusalem Post that the video showed her daughter was “strong and determined” and that wounds suffered on 7 October were not as serious as first feared. However, she said she was concerned about her “poor mental state”.
Meanwhile, her boyfriend’s father told Maariv that his son awaits her return – and planned to propose.
“My son asked her parents for her hand in marriage, to which they answered yes, even though they are only 19-20 years old. Right after that, he shouted to the sky – ‘I’m going to propose to you!'” the father said.
“He prays that she will come back soon and be reunited with him and her family.”
Liri Albag
ReutersLiri Albag was 18 and had just started military training as an Army lookout when Hamas attacked the Nahal Oz base on 7 October 2023.
Her cousin Aya Albag, a corporal in the army, said she had told her she was “proud” of her passing her observation course before she went to the base
“She was motivated and so happy that she was assigned to Nahal Oz,” she told the Jerusalem Post. “She began her role on Thursday, and a day and a half later, on Saturday morning, she was kidnapped.
Her family say that she has managed to pass messages back to them through released hostages.
In January 2024, footage of Albag, now 19 years old, was released by Hamas.
“I’m only 19 years old. I have my entire life in front of me, but now my entire life has been put on pause,” she is heard to say.
“The world is starting to forget about us. No one cares about us. We’re living in a nightmare.”
Hostages already released in latest ceasefire
Three female Israeli hostages were already released as part of the latest ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Romi Gonen, 24, was captured as she tried to escape the Nova music festival when it was targeted by the militant group as part of the 7 October 2023 attack.
She has been freed alongside Doron Steinbrecher, 31, a veterinary nurse, and Emily Damari, 28, who holds dual British-Israeli nationality.
All three arrived back in Israel on Sunday after being released by Hamas in Gaza, and were reunited with their families.
Romi Gonen
Reuters / HandoutRomi had travelled from her home in Kfar Veradim, northern Israel, to the Nova festival, which took place in the Negev Desert in the south.
More than 360 people were killed at the festival when Hamas fighters crossed over the border, 2km (1.3 miles) to the west. The desert landscape offered partygoers limited cover and exit routes were blocked by gunmen.
When sirens sounded as the attack unfolded, Romi called her family. Her mother, Meirav, recalled hearing shots and shouting in Arabic in the final call with her daughter.
Romi was ambushed by Hamas militants as she tried to flee.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Romi had gone to the festival “to do what she loved, to dance” – something she had studied for 12 years, starring in solo performances and becoming an “amazing choreographer”.
A video posted by the families’ forum last November described her as “the girl with the biggest smile, the brightest light, the greatest friend”.
The forum also said that Romi’s bedroom at her home “remains exactly as it was when she left”, awaiting her return.
In a video clip shared by the Israeli military, Romi’s father was seen jumping in the air before breaking down in tears as he watched footage of his daughter’s release on Sunday.
Doron Steinbrecher
Bring Them Home Now / HandoutDoron, a 31-year-old veterinary nurse, was abducted from her apartment in Kibbutz Kfar Aza – near Gaza’s north-western border – when Hamas attacked.
The community, one of many Israeli villages along the border, was heavily targeted by armed militants during the 7 October attacks.
Israeli officials said Hamas burned homes and killed civilians, including whole families, as well as taking hostages.
When the assault began, Doron contacted her family and friends via WhatsApp to say she was hiding under the bed as militants advanced, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
In her last voice message, she was heard screaming “they’ve caught me” as shouting and gunfire sounded in the background.
Doron’s family received no information about her whereabouts for nearly four months.
“After an unbearable 471 days, our beloved Dodo has finally returned to our arms,” her family said in a statement released by the missing families forum on Sunday.
They added: “We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported and accompanied us along this journey.”
She studied theatre and film in school, and developed a love for animals that led to her becoming a veterinary nurse.
Emily Damari
PA MediaEmily, a 28-year-old British-Israeli national, was also taken hostage from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on 7 October 2023.
She was shot in the hand and taken into Gaza from her home during the attack, and also saw her dog shot and killed. Photographs after her release showed Emily with a bandaged hand and two missing fingers from that attack.
Her mother, Mandy Damari, was also in the kibbutz in her separate home on 7 October. Mrs Damari hid in the safe room and was saved by a bullet hitting the door handle, making it impossible for attackers to get in.
As the assault unfolded, Emily sent her mother a text message containing a single heart emoji – that was the last contact they had.
Emotional images showed Emily reunited with her mother in Israel on Sunday, hugging while on a video call with her brother.
“I want to thank everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily throughout this horrendous ordeal, and who never stopped saying her name,” Mrs Damari said.
“In Israel, Britain, the United States, and around the world. Thank you for bringing Emily home.”
Mrs Damari was born and raised in the UK, and met her husband on a holiday in Israel aged 20.
Emily, the youngest of four children, has strong connections with the UK – she is a Tottenham Hotspur fan and would often visit to see relatives.
More Israeli hostages due to be released
Before the ceasefire, Israel said 94 hostages remained unaccounted for but it believed only 60 to still be alive.
There are 26 Israeli hostages due to be handed over in the first phase of the ceasefire deal. Israel’s prime minister has said most are believed to be alive.
They have been named by Israel as:
Itzik Elgarat, 69; Agam Berger, 20; Ohad Ben Ami, 55; Arbel Yahud, 29; Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29; Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36; Omer Wenkert, 23; Yair Horn, 46; Oded Lifshitz, 84; Or Levy, 34; Eliya Cohen, 27; Ohad Yahalomi, 50; Tsachi Idan, 50; Keith Siegel, 65; Shlomo Mansour, 86; Gadi Moses, 80; Eli Sharabi, 52; Omer Shem Tov, 22; Tal Shoham, 39; Ofer Kalderon, 53; Yarden Bibas, 34; Shiri Bibas, 33; Ariel Bibas; Kfir Bibas.
The list also includes two men Hisham al-Sayed, 35, and Avera Mengistu, 27, who were captured by Hamas after crossing into Gaza from Israel before the war.
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