The Red Cross vehicles holding the released Israeli soldiers have begun to leave Gaza City’s Palestine Square, amid cheers from the crowd.
GAZA — Hamas has handed over to the Red Cross four female Israeli soldiers that were held in Gaza. The release is part of the second swap of prisoners under a Gaza ceasefire deal that will also see the freeing of 200 Palestinians held in Israeli jails soon, Al Jazeera reported.
Four female Israeli captives have appeared on a stage in Gaza City’s Palestine Square.
They smiled, alongside fighters from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, before being handed over to the Red Cross.
The Red Cross vehicles holding the released Israeli soldiers have begun to leave Gaza City’s Palestine Square, amid cheers from the crowd.
“This is a historic moment,” reports Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim al-Khalili from the scene.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians forcibly displaced from northern Gaza by Israeli bombardment and evacuation threats are hoping to return to their areas as the ceasefire holds.
The Israeli prison authority said on Friday it is preparing for the release of the second batch of Palestinian detainees under a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli media said the release will include high-profile Palestinian detainees who have life-term sentences.
The prison authority said in a statement that it is “preparing operationally and logistically” to implement the plan for the release of the prisoners, per political agreements.
It noted that it received “the list of security prisoners” expected to be released from prisons.
The statement added that following the completion of the required administrative procedures, Israeli security forces would transfer prisoners to main gathering centres in the Ofer Prison in the central occupied West Bank and Negev Prison in southern Israel.
The prisoners will be identified by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, where they will remain until finalizing the procedures of releasing the Israeli prisoners from the Gaza Strip, it added.
Israeli public broadcaster KAN named some of the Palestinians who have life-term sentences, including Zakaria Zubeidi, Ahmed Al-Barghouti, Wael Qasem and Mahmoud Atallah.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 47,283 Palestinians and wounded 111,472 since October 7, 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks and more than 200 taken captive.
Israel using ‘unlawful lethal force’ in raids on Jenin: UN
Meanwhile, the United Nations has said it is “deeply concerned” over the Israeli military’s use of “unlawful lethal force” this week in its raids on Jenin, in the occupied West Bank – including using methods developed for fighting wars.
“The deadly Israeli operations in recent days raise serious concerns about unnecessary or disproportionate use of force, including methods and means developed for warfighting, in violation of international human rights law, norms and standards applicable to law enforcement operations,” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Thameen al-Kheetan told a media briefing in Geneva.
“This includes multiple air strikes and apparently random shooting at unarmed residents attempting to flee or find safety.”
Israeli forces blocked the four main entrances to Jenin city and its refugee camp on Friday as the deadly raids on the city entered a fourth day, officials said. Israel says its operation aims to eliminate Palestinian fighters in the city.
As of Friday, the death toll in Israeli raids had reached 12. Dozens of Palestinians have also been wounded and detained, while thousands have been forced to flee the city.
Also read: Israeli Prisoners Treated Humanely Under Islamic Teachings: Al-Qassam Commander