Israel and Hamas Set Up Prisoner and Hostage Swap: Cease-Fire Latest Updates

The girls worked as “spotters” for the Israeli army, reporting suspicious activity across the border. During an attack led by Hamas, the army stormed the Nahal Oz military base in Israel, killing more than 50 soldiers and abducting women, all of whom were teenagers at the time, along with three other female soldiers.

In May, the Israeli military released a set of three-minute edited videos, verified by the New York Times, showing Palestinian fighters, some wearing Hamas headbands, tying the hands of five women, including the four who were released on Saturday. These images were recorded by body cameras worn by Hamas terrorists who kidnapped them, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the relatives of many of the hostages.

Here’s what we know about the four freed hostages:

Liri Albag

In January, Hamas’ military wing released a edited video of Ms Albag, now 19, speaking for three and a half minutes, in which it said she had been held for more than 450 days.

In a statement, Ms Albag’s family said her “great mental distress is evident” in the video and asked leaders to “make decisions as if there were children of your own.”

“He is many kilometers away from us, yet for 456 days we could not bring him home,” said the family.

Karina Ariev

Ms. Ariev, now 20 years old, called her parents during the attack, describing gunfire and rocket fire, and told them she loved them, according to Israeli media. Her family later that day found a Hamas video posted on social media showing Ms Ariev and two other women traveling in a Jeep – her face bleeding, they said.

In August, after Ms. Ariev turned 20 years old in captivity, Ms. Ariev’s older sister, Sasha Ariev, said at an event in Jerusalem that she moved home after the October 7 attacks to help her struggling parents who felt helpless and struggling. to keep hope.

He said the problem of abduction is bothering him. “How can I sleep since we haven’t succeeded in bringing Karina and all the other hostages back home?” he said. “How can I sleep in my bed and he has been kidnapped?”

Daniella Gilboa

Daniella Gilboa, 20, is from Petah Tikva, in central Israel. In July, Ms. Gilboa’s family released a video made by Hamas that they had obtained months ago, which showed her and Ms. Ariev in custody.

In an interview with Maariv, an Israeli newspaper, the father of Ms. Gilboa’s boyfriend said the family was saddened by the video. “In his family, there is a sense of relief and a sense of disappointment,” he was quoted as saying.

And Levy

Naama Levy, who is also 20 years old, sent her mother a message from the safe room on the day of the attack, according to a website dedicated to talking about her release. “I have never heard anything like this,” he wrote. A video of Hamas being taken to Gaza went viral on social media shortly after the attack.

In a film interview about sexual violence during the attack, Ayelet Levy Sachar, Naama’s mother, spoke about her daughter’s abduction. He appeared in a Hamas video wearing pajama bottoms, covered in blood.

“They grabbed him by the hair, and he’s wasted,” he said, adding, “We like to think that this won’t happen.” That no one can harm the girl. But you can see it there.”