Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy are the names of the four women who will be released this Saturday by Hamas, in the second hostage exchange for Palestinian prisoners within the framework of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza. All of them, soldiers of the Israeli army, were captured on October 7, 2023 at the Nahal Oz military base, one kilometer from the Gaza Strip, where they fulfilled their mandatory military service.
Last summer, their relatives published the video of the moment the militants kidnapped them, with the aim of putting pressure on Netanyahu’s government.
Known as The eyes of Israelwere some of them, along with other girl soldiers, who months before notified their superiors that they had observed training, kidnapping drills and military exercises by members of Hamas. His warnings were ignored.
That October 7, thousands of Palestinian militiamen led by Hamas crossed into Israeli territory from Gaza, where they killed almost 1,200 people and kidnapped another 251. Thus, with the departure of the young women, 87 of the captives will remain in Gaza, while Israel estimates that at least 35 (including these soldiers) are dead.
Liri Albag
Coming from Moshav Yarhivserved his 19 years in captivity. His two sisters explained in an interview with EFE that summer that October 7 was their second day at the Nahal Oz base. Before being kidnapped, she was able to make one last call to her family at 6 in the morning to tell them that he was fine.
Hamas published a propaganda video of the young woman in early January. It was her first sign of life after more than 15 months kidnapped.
Karina Ariev
Her sister Sasha has led the fight to preserve the memory of this 20-year-old. Karina was assigned to the Nahal Oz base in October 2022. Days before the Hamas attack, at a dinner with her family, warned that the situation at the border was escalating and that it was only a matter of days before a war would start. On the morning of October 7, she called her family to say goodbye and ask them to move on with their lives if she did not survive.
Daniella Gilboa
A native of Petah Tikva, the last text message his mother sent said: “Pray for me“. Her relatives identified her hours later in videos published by Hamas on the Telegram messaging channel during the time of the kidnapping.
Last July, Hamas published a propaganda video with this hostage, in which she appeared saying: “Where were you on October 7 when I was taken from my bed? Where are you now? Why me, as a soldier who gave the 100 percent of myself to the country and served under such difficult conditions on the Gaza fence“Do I have to feel abandoned and discarded by you?”
Face Plate
Levy, 20, last communicated with his family at 6:55 a.m. local time when he sent a text message to his mother confirming that he was in a safe room. “We are in a safe space. I’ve never heard anything like that in my life.“the young woman wrote to her mother, describing the shooting and bombing by Hamas.
Hours later, a Hamas video appeared on Telegram, showing Levy with her hands tied, the bottom of her pants covered in blood and stained with dirt, her feet bare, being pulled from the trunk of a Jeep and then pushed into the back seat.
She is the great-granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and participated in the Hands of Peace project in the United States, which works for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
