Under the fragile calm of the Gaza ceasefire, a high-stakes prisoner swap unfolded on Saturday, 25 January, exchanging four Israeli female soldiers for 200 Palestinian prisoners. The deal marks the second phase of a truce that began on 19 January 2025, after 15 months of devastating conflict between Israel and Gaza’s Palestinian factions. The soldiers—Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag, aged 19 and 20—had been held captive by Palestinian groups since the start of the war on 7 October 2023. The captives were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza City. In exchange, Israel released 200 Palestinian prisoners, including 121 serving life sentences. For many of these Palestinians, it was their first moment of freedom in decades. The prisoner exchange, conducted under banners reading “Zionism will not prevail,” drew large crowds to Palestine Square in Gaza City. Fighters from Hamas’s Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades and Islamic Jihad’s Saraya Al-Quds Brigades presented the Israeli soldiers to the ICRC in a highly publicized ceremony, attended by residents cheering for what they saw as a victory for their cause. The War That Shaped the Deal…
Gaza Ceasefire Exchange: Four Israeli Soldiers Freed for 200 Palestinian Prisoners
January 25, 2025
