4 freed Israeli soldiers smile, wave on stage during handover ceremony
Palestinian resistance group Hamas handed over four female Israeli soldiers on Saturday under a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Israel.
The four freed soldiers wearing the Israeli military uniform smiled and waved on a stage at Palestine Square in Gaza City as they were transferred to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The Israeli army confirmed that the four freed soldiers were handed over to its forces in Gaza before being transferred to Israel.
The army said that the four soldiers were checked by doctors and that they were in relatively good physical condition.
"Their medical condition is normal, with no findings that require special medical intervention on the ground," army officials said.
Thousands of Palestinians gathered at the Palestine Square to witness the handover ceremony of the four Israeli soldiers, including dozens of fighters from Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades.
The four Israelis, whose names were submitted by Hamas on Friday, are Liri Albag, 19, Daniella Gilboa, 20, Karina Ariev, 20, and Naama Levy, 20.
They are members of the Israeli army's surveillance unit at the Nahal Oz base.
During the handover process, ICRC representatives were taken on stage to sign a document ahead of the release of the four soldiers.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari, for his part, called the handover ceremony of the four female soldiers “cynical.”
“The mission will not end until all of them return to Israel,” he added.
Some 200 Palestinian prisoners are set to be freed in exchange for the four Israeli soldiers.
The first six-week phase of a Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect on Jan. 19, suspending Israel's genocidal war that has killed nearly 47,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 111,400 since Oct. 7, 2023.
The three-phase ceasefire agreement includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The Israeli onslaught has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
