Hamas announced on Friday, Jan. 24, the names of the four female Israeli soldiers set to be released in a hostage exchange for Palestinian prisoners. It will mark the second swap under the latest ceasefire deal in Gaza.
The militant group identified the hostages as Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag. According to Hamas officials, the group will release the women on Saturday, Jan. 25.
Israel said it had received the list of four hostages set to be freed but would not confirm the names on it.
The expected exchange follows the release of three Israeli women and 90 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, Jan. 19. The release was the first such swap of its kind in more than a year.
Many of the Palestinians being exchanged in the deal were reportedly convicted of violent offenses and terrorist acts.
As part of the six-week first phase of the ceasefire, Israel reportedly agreed to free 50 Palestinians for every female soldier released. That means the release of the four female soldiers would likely mean the release of 200 Palestinians.
The 42-day ceasefire, which began on Sunday, Jan. 19, also includes Hamas’ agreement to release 33 of the remaining Israeli hostages. This would be in exchange for more than 1,000 imprisoned Palestinians and a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Israel said it believes around 94 hostages remain in Gaza. However, officials presume dozens of them are dead.
Hamas militants took the hostages to Gaza during the October 2023 terror attack in Israel. During the attack, the militants killed some 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250.
Israel’s retaliatory war against Hamas has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
