The terrorist group Hamas released four additional hostages from Gaza on Saturday after a ceasefire deal with Israel took effect nearly a week ago.
Four Israeli Defense Forces members, Karina Ariev, 20, Daniella Gilboa, 20, Naama Levy, 20, and Liri Albag, 19, who were abducted in an attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, were released in the second round of hostage releases on Saturday.
Israel was supposed to free 200 Palestinian prisoners or detainees, which included 120 militants serving life sentences for their involvement in deadly attacks, in exchange for the release of the IDF members.
The first round of hostage releases on Sunday freed Romi Gonen, Emily Demari, and Doron Steinbrecher.
Naama Levy had been held hostage for more than a year. (The Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
This is the second cease-fire achieved during the war that began more than a year ago.
The conflict in Gaza, which has been ongoing for 15 months, began when Hamas initiated a surprise attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. This led to military retaliation from Israeli forces, and currently, around 100 hostages are still being held captive in Gaza.
