JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The Palestinian militant group Hamas released four Israeli female soldiers on Saturday, who will be exchanged for 200 Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in Israeli jails.
The four were all members of a mainly female unit of observers posted round Gaza to watch for signs of Hamas activity, who were among around 250 hostages seized during the attack on Oct. 7.
Footage showing the capture of the four, as well as another soldier, at the Nahal Oz military base was broadcast on Israeli television last year after their families gave permission in a bid to increase awareness and build pressure to get them back.
Looking dazed and still wearing their pyjamas, the images, taken from Hamas bodycam footage recovered by the Israeli military, showed them sitting on the floor with their hands tied, some of them bloodied.
NAAMA LEVY, 20
Video of Naama Levy being bundled into a jeep in Gaza circulated on social media within hours of her abduction. It showed Levy bruised and cut, the seat of her trousers stained with blood, with her hands tied behind her back, pushed into the vehicle by a gunman while bystanders chant “God is greatest!” in Arabic. She had just begun her military service when the attack took place and as she was pushed into the jeep, she pleaded: “I have friends in Palestine,” footage released of her capture showed.
DANIELLA GILBOA, 20
Daniela Gilboa was wounded during the attack on Oct. 7 and was shown limping in the video showing the soldiers’ capture.
She was seen last year in a video released by Hamas, which showed her appealing angrily to the government to work for her release and saying she felt abandoned.
LIRI ALBAG, 19
Liri Albag was taken hostage just a day and a half after beginning her military service, Israeli media reported.
Earlier this month, Hamas released a video showing her reading a message, appealing for her release.
KARINA ARIEV, 20
Just before being taken, Karina Ariev managed to speak briefly wth her parents and sent her family a farewell message, Israeli media reported. A subsequent photo of her in captivity released by Hamas showed her with a bandaged head with what appeared to be blood stains.
(Reporting by James Mackenzie, Editing by William Maclean and Toby Chopra)
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