Hamas has freed four women and Israel has freed 200 Palestinians in the second hostage and prisoner exchange as part of the most recent Gaza ceasefire.
The women — Liri Albag, 19, and 20-year-olds Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy — were all IDF soldiers stationed at the Nahal Oz observation post on the edge of the Gaza Strip where they were abducted by Hamas fighters on October 7, 2023.
They'd been held hostage in Gaza ever since.
"On the morning of October 7, the female soldiers acted bravely against the enemy. Many fell in the fierce battle — we embrace the families and stand with them," IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said after their release.
They were seen in military-style uniforms on a stage in Palestine Square in Gaza City, before being escorted by Hamas militants into waiting Red Cross vehicles.
The women were then driven to the Israel-Gaza border, where they were handed over to the IDF and Shin Bet security forces.
They reunited with their families at Re'im military base, where three helicopters were waiting to take them to Beilinson Hospital at Petah Tikvah.
The family of Naama Levy said in a statement they were "overjoyed and moved" to have her home.
"Our hearts are with the Berger and Yehoud families who are still waiting for their loved ones," they added, referring to hostages yet to be released, Agam Berger and Arbel Yehoud.
"We will not rest until the last hostage returns."
Israel announces deal change
Crowds gathered at Palestine Square in Gaza City ahead of the exchange, with Hamas militants spotted on live feeds from international agencies displaying anti-Israel banners.
It had been expected that Israel would allow displaced Palestinians in southern parts of the Gaza Strip to return to their communities in the north following the hostages' release.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that was not happening, because Hamas had not yet released a civilian hostage named Arbel Yehud.
Hamas said Israel was delaying the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire terms by preventing displaced Palestinians from returning to the north of the enclave, warning that such delays could have "repercussions" for the subsequent stages of the agreement.
The terrorist group also told the Reuters news agency that Ms Yehud was alive and would be released next weekend.
Israel had been demanding that she be released on Saturday and claims that by failing to do so, Hamas has not abided by the ceasefire agreement.
Ms Yehud was taken hostage from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, close to the Gaza border on October 7 and is believed to be being held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, not Hamas, which could explain why her release has been delayed.
She is one of only two female hostages remaining. The other is Silberman Bibas who was taken along with two young sons Ariel and Kfir, 5 and 2, as well as her husband Yarden.
Hamas has claimed the mother and two children were killed in an IDF air strike but have not released any photo or video evidence, leading many in Israel to believe they could still be alive and that Hamas's announcement is psychological warfare.
Another military spokesman posted on X saying Hamas had not abided with the ceasefire agreement to release Israeli civilians first because Agam Berger was not among those released today.
Daniel Hagari echoed those concerns in a press conference.
"Agam Berger is still being held captive by Hamas. We are committed to bringing her back and ensuring the return of all the hostages," he said.
"Hamas has not fulfilled its agreement to prioritise the return of civilian hostages. We will insist that Arbel Yehoud returns, as well as Shiri and the children of the Bibas family, for whom we are gravely concerned."
Some freed Palestinians deported to Egypt
A couple of hours after the hostages were released, Israel freed about 200 Palestinian prisoners from its jails.
Not all of them were allowed to go home, however. About 70 were deported to Egypt. These were the prisoners convicted of the most serious offences.
Israel has said any Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis would not be allowed to return to their homes in the West Bank or Gaza and should be permanently deported.
Egypt's state-run Qahera TV said 70 of the prisoners had been deported to Egypt, arriving on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip.
A number of third-party countries have agreed to take them from there, including Türkiye, Algeria and Tunisia.
The rest of the prisoners were taken from Ofer Prison in the West Bank to Ramallah, where crowds of relatives and supporters gathered.
Al Jazeera reported that of the 200, 121 are serving life sentences.
The oldest prisoner is 69 and the youngest is just 15. On the list are terrorists convicted of murder, car bombings, shootings and masterminding suicide bombings.
According to Haaretz, an Israeli media outlet, 21 prisoners will be released to the Gaza Strip.
33 Israelis to be released in first phase
Israel also holds Palestinians without charges and trials in its jails. These people are what Israel calls "administrative detainees".
Many will be released as part of the ceasefire, but none were freed on Saturday.
Some were released last week.
As part of the ceasefire deal, it is expected almost 2,000 prisoners and Palestinians in administrative detention will be freed from Israeli jails.
The first six-week phase of the ceasefire agreement will see 33 hostages released all up. Now there are 26 to go.
The group is made up of women and children, men aged over 50 and injured civilians, including two Americans.
It is not clear how many of the remaining hostages are still alive and Hamas is expected to provide an update on their conditions later on Saturday.
After Saturday, three hostages will be released every seven days, and the final 14 will be released in the last week of the first phase, which ends on the 1st of March.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, for each female soldier, 30 Palestinians prisoners on life sentences and 20 to more than 15 years in prison will be released.
They are likely to include militants convicted for deadly attacks in Israel and people convicted of murder.
Israel says they will not, however, include anyone involved in the October 7 attacks.
Phase Two will involve negotiating the release of the 65 remaining hostages who are mostly male Israeli soldiers, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners and a complete Israeli troop withdrawal.
Editor's note (31/01/2025): This article has been amended to refer to military-style uniforms in reference to the clothes the Israeli hostages were wearing.
