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By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel has confirmed the return of four female Israeli soldiers who were held as hostages by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2022.
Earlier, Israeli forces were seen preparing a helipad at the Beilinson Schneider complex in Petah Tikva, Israel, ahead of the arrival of the four young women.
The four hostages, identified as Karina Ariev, 20, Daniella Gilboa, 20, Naama Levy, 20, and Liri Albag, 19, all served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), officials confirmed.
Yet IDF spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, cautioned that Hamas had “failed to meet its obligations” to first release female civilian hostages.
“Today … we welcomed home four more Israeli hostages after 477 days in Hamas captivity,” he said. “Today, we salute and embrace them and their families as they reunite just now after so long.”
He added: “We cannot and will not forget the 90 hostages, including women, children, and elderly men, [that] still remain in brutal conditions in Hamas captivity. Hamas failed to meet its obligations to first release Israeli female civilian hostages as part of the agreement.”
Israeli hostages in military uniform initially entered the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) vehicles, reporters witnessed.
LARGE CROWD
The women were pictured led onto a podium in Gaza City amid a large crowd of Palestinians and surrounded by dozens of armed Hamas men.
They waved and smiled before being led off and entering ICRC vehicles that transported them to Israel’s military. Back home in Israel, large emotionally charged crowds, including relatives and friends, awaited their return after more than 15 months in captivity.
As their release unfolded, Hamas published the list of 200 Palestinian prisoners set to be freed by Israel on Saturday in exchange for the four female Israeli soldiers as part of the ceasefire deal between the group and Israel.
According to sources familiar with the situation, the 200 prisoners include long-serving inmates and others with lengthy sentences.
Away from Gaza and Israel, about 153 prisoners were released by Yemen’s Houthis, who have attacked Israel and ships of its allies in support of Hamas.
The detainees were freed on Saturday with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), according to an ICRC statement.
The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships since November 2023 and have sunk two vessels, seized another, and killed at least four seafarers. Its attacks disrupted global shipping trade and prompted route changes, which meant longer voyages for goods to arrive.
The prisoners’ identities were not disclosed, but the ICRC said the organization regularly visited them in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Much of Moscow was apparently burning Sunday as Ukraine launched one of its largest drone strikes on the Russian capital, killing several people and injuring dozens while disrupting the final day of Russia’s parliamentary elections.
Russians were voting in a three-day parliamentary election, the first since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago, amid continuing fighting and reported attacks on Russia’s electoral infrastructure.
President Donald Trump returned to the White House Saturday evening after unexpectedly cutting short his stay at Camp David, as mounting tensions prompted new security warnings for Americans across the Middle East.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sharply shortened his upcoming visit to the United States, adding another layer of uncertainty to an already tense week.
Thousands of people, many of them Christians, braved the rain at Amsterdam’s central Dam Square for a pro-Israel rally, while police arrested more than a dozen pro-Palestinian protesters who attempted to disrupt the gathering.
President Donald Trump announced a sweeping security agreement with Denmark and Greenland that would grant the United States permanent military rights on the strategically important Arctic island. The agreement strengthens America’s northern defenses without transferring ownership of Greenland to the United States.
Organizers were weighing their options after Ireland joined the Netherlands in boycotting the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s participation, deepening divisions surrounding one of the world’s most watched music events, which attracted about 131 million television viewers last year.
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