Next Group of Hostages to Be Freed: Female Soldiers

Last Sunday, the first three Israeli hostages were released by Hamas under a newly negotiated ceasefire with Israel. Now, the names of four Israeli soldiers, all women, who are set to be freed this coming weekend have been announced, reports the AP. The soldiers were stationed at the Nahal Oz military base near the Gaza border when they were abducted by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, per NBC News.

On Friday, four young women were identified as Karina Ariev, Danielle (or Daniella) Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag by a spokesman from the Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military branch. A fifth soldier, 20-year-old Agam Berger, will remain in Hamas custody. Hamas has agreed to release one civilian hostage for every 30 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, or one female soldier for every 50 Palestinian detainees. By those calculations, there should be about 200 Palestinians released on Saturday in exchange for the soldiers.

Sasha Ariev tells NBC that her sister Karina had been sending up red flags for months before the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas in Israel, in which about 1,200 were murdered and 250 or so were taken hostage. "They knew something, the girls who were the eyes of the country," says Sasha Ariev, adding that her sister had sent her a message on the day she was abducted that said the "terrorists are here." Video showing a bloodied and bound Sasha Ariev in a Jeep had circulated on the day of the assault, and last January, Hamas released more footage of her.

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A senior Hamas official tells NBC that all four female hostages are alive. On Friday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that they'd received the list of names scheduled for release, noting that they'd issue a response at a later point, per Reuters. Israel says 94 Israelis and foreigners remain captive in Gaza, including the four scheduled to be released starting on Saturday. Hamas says it will release 33 prisoners over the next six weeks as Israeli troops slowly pull out of Gaza, which has reported about 47,000 deaths since the war started, according to Hamas health officials. (More Israel-Hamas war stories.)