Hamas to Free Four Women Soldiers in Second Swap With Israel

(Bloomberg) -- Hamas named four Israeli women hostages it plans to release Saturday in a second hostage-for-prisoner swap, as the ceasefire in Gaza nears the end of its first week.

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Israel received the hostage list from mediators and will respond after a review, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Friday.

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The truce brokered by Qatar and Egypt calls for the gradual release of 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza, in exchange for around 1,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons. Women are to be released first, followed by the elderly and sick.

The four hostages are Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, 20, and Liri Albag, 19, all conscripts from a military surveillance unit. They are due to be released in exchange for some 200 jailed Palestinians, 120 of which were serving life sentences, said Hamas, which is designated a terrorist group in the US and many other countries.

Hamas did not elaborate on the condition of the four soldiers. A fifth female soldier taken captive was not on Saturday’s roster. Nor were two civilian women, one of which Israel had expected to be freed.

The four soldiers expected to be freed were among 250 people seized by Hamas during an Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack that killed 1,200 people and triggered the war in Gaza. The ensuing Israeli campaign devastated the Palestinian territory, killing more than 47,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Of those initially abducted by Hamas, 94 hostages currently remain in Gaza. Some were recovered in a previous truce, in November 2023, or during Israeli army operations. Israel said it believes as many as half of the hostages died in captivity.

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Hamas said it awaits an Israeli roster naming the prisoners to go free. Israel previously disclosed a list of potential prisoners to be released and said that several militant leaders among them would be deported rather than allowed to return home. Palestinian officials identified Qatar and Turkey as prospective countries of exile.

Second Phase Conundrum

A new round of talks is expected before the six-week pause ends, which would allow for the return of remaining living hostages — male soldiers or civilian men of fighting age. Talks would also aim for a permanent end to fighting, which Netanyahu repeatedly said would only happen after the eradication of Hamas.

An agreement at a second stage is far from certain. Politically, it also poses a conundrum for Netanyahu. The approval of the current pause led to one far-right cabinet member pulling his faction from the ruling coalition in protest. A second, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, threatened to follow suit if the war isn’t resumed after the first six weeks. If that happens, Netanyahu would be left with a minority government.

If the war is restarted, it would mean hostages remaining in captivity. A poll in right-leaning Israel Hayom newspaper published Friday found that 70% of Israelis want the deal to be fully implemented and all the hostages returned.

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--With assistance from Fadwa Hodali.

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