January 25, 2025 | Flash Brief
‘Redeem Them From Death’: Israel Recovers Four Female Soldiers Held in Gaza for 477 Days
January 25, 2025 | Flash Brief
‘Redeem Them From Death’: Israel Recovers Four Female Soldiers Held in Gaza for 477 Days
Latest Developments
- Staged Handover: Hamas released four IDF female soldiers to the Red Cross on January 25 who had been abducted from the Nahal Oz military base during the terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Following the carefully choreographed handover in Gaza City, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy, all 20 years of age, and 19-year-old Liri Albag were driven to an IDF contingent which took them into Israel for medical examination and reunification with their families. Hamas had dressed the four in fatigues meant to resemble military uniforms, requiring them to appear onstage and wave at hordes of Palestinian spectators and masked terrorists before release. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office quoted the Book of Hosea in welcoming them home: “I will ransom them from the power of the grave. I will redeem them from death.” A fifth woman soldier, Agam Berger, remains in captivity, with Israelis hoping she will see freedom in the scheduled Feb 1 swap.
- Traded for 200 Jailed Terrorists: Per the terms of the deal reached on January 15, in return for the four women, Israel released 200 jailed Palestinian terrorists, scores of whom were serving life sentences for lethal attacks. Several of those on the roster were to be deported through Egypt to Qatar or Turkey, or to be sent to Gaza rather than their West Bank homes, as part of an exile deal with Israel. Reportedly included in the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released are Mohammad Odeh, Wael Qassim, and Wissam Abbasi, all part of a Hamas cell which carried out a string of suicide bombings in 2002 and were all serving life sentences.
- Hamas Reneges on Releasing Civilian Hostages First: Israel had expected the January 25 hostage releases to include Arbel Yehud, a female civilian hostage. Due to her exclusion, Israel is not permitting displaced Palestinians to return to the northern Gaza Strip. Al Jazeera quoted a Hamas source as saying Yehud is alive, has been located, and will go free in the next swap scheduled for February 1, adding that she is being held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, rather than Hamas. In addition, another civilian woman, Shiri Bibas, has been held hostage along with her two young sons Ariel and Kfir in Gaza since the October 7 attack. IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said there were “grave concerns” for their fate and that Israel insists on their urgent return.
FDD Expert Response
“That these four young women, barely out of their teens, had the strength to stand tall, smile, and wave in the face of a hostile crowd of terrorists and their supporters is a testament to their extraordinary courage and moral resilience. No one should be deceived by Hamas’s staged propaganda. This is the same Hamas that, just weeks ago, forced a haggard and weeping Albag to make a coerced hostage video and spread false rumors about Gilboa being murdered in captivity.” — Mark Dubowitz, CEO
“Israelis are breathing a sigh of relief after the release of four female IDF border observers taken hostage by Hamas on October 7. IDF observers were among the only ones to warn of the looming peril from Gaza before the October 7 attacks, and they were ignored. The ongoing threat from Hamas is now heightened as a result of the pause in fighting, with the terrorist organization able to recruit and re-group during the current 42-day ceasefire. Questions loom as to how long the Netanyahu government is willing to allow for Hamas to gain strength before it orders the IDF to return to the fight.” — Jonathan Schanzer, Executive Director
“Hamas is using every opportunity to psychologically terrorize Israelis. The female soldiers who were seen battered and bloodied on October 7, were then paraded before crowds of Palestinians in a final humiliation before their release after 477 days of captivity in Gaza.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Networks
FDD Background and Analysis
“‘Den of Antisemitism’: Hamas Held Israeli Hostages in UNRWA Camps,” FDD Flash Brief
“Released Palestinians Greeted with Terrorist Flags, Notorious Terrorists Set for Release in Future Rounds,” FDD Flash Brief
“After 471 Days of Captivity, Hamas Releases Three Israeli Women on First Day of Ceasefire,” FDD Flash Brief “‘Hamas Finally Agreed’: Israel-Hamas Reach Second Ceasefire and Hostage Deal After 15 Months of War,” FDD Flash Brief