Hamas has announced the names of the next four Israeli hostages who will be released tomorrow as part of the ceasefire in Gaza. They are Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag, all soldiers, according to what was declared today by Abu Obeida, spokesperson for the armed wing of the group.
The agreement provides for the initial release of women, both civilian and military, followed by elderly men, the wounded and, finally, the bodies of the deceased. Currently, only a limited number of hostages meet the criteria for this first phase. As a result, two women – 29-year-old civilian Arbel Yehoud and soldier Agam Berger – will likely remain prisoners until the next exchange, scheduled for the weekend. Ariev, Gilboa, Levy, Albag and Berger were captured on October 7, 2023 during an attack on a military base near Gaza, which marked the beginning of the conflict in the Strip.
Israel hoped Arbel Yehoud would be included among the hostages freed on Saturday, according to a source close to the deal. However, it is unclear whether the Israeli government will contest the delay in his release. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed it had received the list of hostages scheduled for Saturday, but postponed any official comment. As the Wall Street Journal writes, Hamas had generated uncertainty earlier in the week, declaring it would free four female soldiers, fueling concerns in Israel about Yehoud’s fate. On Thursday, a Hamas official hinted that Yehoud might not be included, specifying that the release depended “on field conditions” deemed appropriate by the group. Yehoud, a civilian, was kidnapped on October 7 from a kibbutz near Gaza and may have been held, at least initially, by Islamic Jihad, an ally of Hamas.
The four female soldiers who will be released are between 19 and 20 years old and were captured during compulsory military service in a base near the Gaza Strip. The list of 33 hostages scheduled for release also includes Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel , 4 years old, and Kfir, just 9 months old, kidnapped last October. Hamas said in November that the three died in an Israeli bombardment, a claim the Israeli military investigated but did not confirm.
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