Naama Levy, one of the four female IDF soldiers released from Hamas captivity on Saturday, is speaking out for the first time. "After 477 days, I’m finally home," Levy wrote on Instagram.
Hamas and Israel will carry out their fourth hostage-prisoner swap of the Gaza ceasefire on Saturday, with the militant group to free three Israeli captives in exchange for 90 inmates in Israeli jails.
Two hundred Palestinian prisoners have also been released today by Israel in the latest stage of a ceasefire deal.
Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher were the first three hostages released from Gaza on Sunday morning. They arrived in Israel, the military announced, hours after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold.
The Palestinian terror group reveals that Yarden Bibas is on the list but there is no mention of his wife and two young sons
The men’s release would be the fourth since a ceasefire paused the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas this month.
The increasingly theatrical and threatening events have angered Israel and put a cease-fire deal at risk.
Hamas is rushing to reassert control over the territory it has ruled since 2007. Its leaders are exuberant—at least in public. In private, they are arguing bitterly. The war has deepened a longtime struggle between the group’s political and military leaders and has saddled it with enormous challenges.
The cease-fire is also a beacon of hope for Palestinians who have suffered immensely during Israel’s 15-month campaign to eradicate Hamas. The Palestinian civilian death toll is estimated to be in the tens of thousands, with more than 80 percent of the population internally displaced.
Hamas' armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, on Thursday confirmed the killing of its military leader Mohammed Deif and deputy military commander Marwan Issa in combat.
Israel briefly suspended the release of Palestinian prisoners after chaotic crowds mobbed two of the captives.