Tearful reunions as Hamas, Israel complete second swap under Gaza truce

Applause and cheers filled a Tel Aviv square on Saturday as Hamas fighters released four Israeli hostages, followed by celebrations in the occupied West Bank when Israel freed 200 Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

While Israel and Hamas completed their second hostage-prisoner swap under a ceasefire deal aimed at paving the way for a permanent end to their war.

The four hostages released, all women soldiers, reached a hospital on the outskirts of Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv after more than 15 months of captivity in Gaza.

Israel's prison service confirmed that 200 Palestinian prisoners were freed in exchange, with some of them subsequently deported.

The Israeli captives, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy, all aged 20, and Liri Albag, 19, waved, smiled, and gave thumbs up as they were paraded on a stage in Gaza City, flanked by masked and armed fighters.

Released Israeli hostage, Naama Levy, a soldier who was seized from her army base in southern Israel, is reunited with loved ones after being released from captivity in Petah Tikva, Israel on January 25, 2025Reuters

After their handover to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the military said the women were brought to Israel and "reunited with their parents".

In Tel Aviv, where a crowd gathered to watch their release on a large TV screen at a plaza known as Hostage Square, there were tears of joy, applause and a loud cheer as Israeli flags waved.

In Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, crowds of Palestinians erupted in joy as dozens of freed prisoners arrived on buses from jail.

A freed Palestinian prisoner is greeted after being released from an Israeli jail as part of a hostages-prisoners swap and a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, January 25, 2025.Reuters

One of them, Azzam al-Shallalta, dropped to his knees and wept at his mother's feet after the teary-eyed crowd carried him on their shoulders, an AFP journalist reported.

"My situation was heartbreaking, truly heartbreaking. We pray to God to free all our brothers we've left behind", said Shallalta, still wearing his grey prison tracksuit.

According to a list provided by the Palestinian Prisoners Club advocacy group, among those released was Mohammed al-Tous, 69, who has spent the longest continuous period in Israeli detention. Data from the Israeli authorities suggested he was to be deported.

Gaza aid surges

The hostage-prisoner exchange is part of a fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that took effect last Sunday. The ceasefire agreement should be implemented in three phases, but the last two stages have not yet been finalized.

During the first, six-week phase, 33 hostages should be freed in staggered releases in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Three women hostages returned home on the first day of the truce in exchange for 90 Palestinians.

Of the Palestinians to be freed in the first phase, more than 230 are serving life sentences for deadly attacks on Israelis and will be permanently expelled, according to a list made public by Israeli authorities.

A drone view shows Palestinians gathering near International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) vehicles on the day of the release of four female Israeli soldiers, in Gaza City, January 25, 2025. Reuters

The truce has brought a surge of food, fuel, medical and other aid into rubble-strewn Gaza, but Israel's UN ambassador confirmed on Friday that the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, Gaza's main aid agency, must end all operations in Israel by Thursday.

Hundreds of truckloads of aid have entered Gaza daily since the ceasefire began, but the UN says "the humanitarian situation remains dire".

State-linked Egyptian media said 70 freed Palestinian prisoners "deported" by Israel had arrived in Egypt by bus. They were to travel on into exile in third countries.

The deal's second phase is to see negotiations for a more permanent end to the war, but analysts have warned it risks collapsing because of the deal's multi-phase nature and deep distrust between Israel and Hamas.

During their October 7, 2023 attack, Hamas fighters took 251 hostages, 87 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.