In accordance with a ceasefire agreement to end the 15-month conflict in Gaza, Hamas has released four female Israeli soldier hostages in exchange for approximately 200 Palestinian prisoners.
As they were escorted onto a podium in Gaza City, the four hostages were met by a sizable crowd of Palestinians and surrounded by numerous armed Hamas fighters.
They waved and smiled before being led away, entering ICRC vehicles that transported them to Israeli forces.
At Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, hundreds of Israelis gathered, crying, embracing, and cheering as they witnessed the handover on a large screen.
The soldiers—Karina Ariev, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levyand, and Liri Albag—were stationed at an observation post on the Gaza perimeter when they were captured by Hamas fighters during their assault on Israel on October 7, 2023.
According to Israel’s military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, they were being reunited with their families at an Israeli military base near the Gaza border, as stated in a video.
The Israeli Health Ministry noted that they would subsequently be taken to a hospital in central Israel.
Prior to their handover to the Red Cross, the four women waved and smiled.
A female Israeli civilian held hostage in Gaza, Arbel Yehud, is expected to be released next week, as informed by Hamas to mediators. This follows Israel’s announcement that she should have been freed today, according to a Hamas official who spoke to Reuters.
According to the official, Arbel Yehud is scheduled for release next Saturday.
As part of today’s exchange, Hamas confirmed that 200 prisoners would be freed.
This group includes convicted militants serving life sentences for their roles in attacks that resulted in numerous fatalities. Hamas stated around 70 of them are to be deported.
This planned exchange marks the second since a ceasefire commenced on January 19, during which Hamas previously released three Israeli women civilians in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners.
The ceasefire agreement, forged after lengthy negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt and supported by the United States, has successfully halted the fighting for the first time since a brief truce in November 2023.
Members of the Al-Qassam Brigades and Al-Quds Brigades have been deployed at Palestine Square in Gaza City in preparation for the hostage exchange.
Under the initial six-week phase of the deal, Hamas has committed to releasing 33 hostages, which includes children, women, the elderly, and those with health issues, in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli detention, with Israeli forces scaling back from certain positions in Gaza.
In the subsequent phase, negotiations will occur for the exchange of the remaining hostages, particularly men of military age, along with the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, which has sustained severe destruction over the course of 15 months of conflict and bombing.
After this morning’s release, 90 hostages remain in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities, who have declared approximately one-third of them deceased in absentia.
Following Hamas’s attack in 2023, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza commenced, which resulted in the death of 1,200 individuals and the abduction of over 250 hostages, as per Israeli counts.
According to health authorities, more than 47,000 Palestinians have perished in Gaza since the outbreak of hostilities.
In Gaza combat, Israel has lost over 400 soldiers.
Hamas has not disclosed the number of fighters it has lost, but Israel estimates that more than a third of the death toll in Gaza comprises of militants.
Khaleda Jarrar, one of the leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was released last weekend.
Israel has mandated that UNRWA must vacate Jerusalem by January 30.
The UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees is required to cease all operations and vacate any “premises” within Jerusalem by January 30, stated Israel’s UN ambassador, reaffirming timelines established by controversial Israeli legislation.
Ignoring international concerns, Israeli lawmakers have passed a law prohibiting UNRWA’s operations in Israel and East Jerusalem, which was annexed by Israel after the 1967 Six-Day War.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini confirmed that the agency plans to continue providing services in areas where it can operate.
The agency has faced heightened criticism from Israel since the initiation of the war in Gaza, including allegations that several UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7, 2023, attack.
In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Ambassador Danny Danon stated: “UNRWA is required to cease its operations in Jerusalem and evacuate all premises in which it operates in the city, no later than January 30, 2025.”
UNRWA serves as a fundamental component of humanitarian operations for Palestinians, providing aid to around six million Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.
Although East Jerusalem has historically been an administrative center for the agency, it also operates schools and health clinics in that region.
Israel has enacted a law that forbids communication between Israeli officials and UNRWA, although the parliament has not prohibited UNRWA’s operations in Gaza or the occupied West Bank.
Philippe Lazzarini remarked earlier this month that the agency intends to “stay and deliver” services in available operational areas.
He noted, however, that lacking “bureaucratic or operational relations” with Israel complicates the operational environment further.
Significant decline in aid trucks entering Gaza.
Since the initiation of the ceasefire, over 4,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza, as reported by the UN, but there has been a notable decrease in the amount of aid delivered.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicated that 339 aid trucks have crossed into Gaza, based on information from Israeli authorities and the guarantors of the ceasefire agreement—namely the United States, Egypt, and Qatar.
According to the ceasefire agreement, a minimum of 600 truckloads of aid must enter Gaza each day.
This figure is in stark contrast to the numbers seen recently, with 630 trucks on Sunday, 915 on Monday, 897 on Tuesday, 808 on Wednesday, and 653 on Thursday.
The truce agreement mandates that at least 600 truckloads of aid, including 50 fuel-carrying trucks, must be delivered to Gaza daily during the first six weeks of the ceasefire. Half of these should be directed to northern Gaza, where there are warnings of an imminent famine.
When questioned about the abrupt reduction in the number of aid trucks, OCHA spokesperson Eri Kaneko explained that the UN and humanitarian partners “have been working as swiftly as possible to distribute this substantial volume of assistance” to approximately 2.1 million people within the heavily affected enclave.
The current week’s aid influx is compared to just 2,892 aid trucks entering Gaza throughout December, as per data from the UN Palestinian relief agency, UNRWA.
Aid deliveries are made on the Gaza side of the border, where the UN collects and redistributes the supplies. OCHA data shows that in December, a total of 2,230 aid truckloads—averaging 72 per day—were successfully delivered.
Throughout the 15-month conflict, the UN has described its humanitarian operations as opportunistic, contending with challenges posed by Israel’s military operations, access restrictions imposed by Israel, and more recently, looting by armed groups.
However, the UN has noted that since the ceasefire took effect, there have been no significant law-and-order issues reported.
“We are also enhancing our broader response, including protection assistance, educational initiatives, and other vital support,” stated Ms. Kaneko.
