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Four female Israeli hostages released by Hamas arrive in Israel

They are Liri Albag (aged 20 years), Naama Levy (20), Karina Ariev (20) and Daniella Gilboa (20)

TEL AVIV, January 25. /TASS/. The four female Israeli hostages that were released by Hamas on Saturday have crossed into Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

"A short while ago, accompanied by IDF and Israel Security Agency (ISA) forces, the four returning hostages crossed the border into Israeli territory," the statement reads.

The army added later that the four hostages - Liri Albag (aged 20 years), Naama Levy (20), Karina Ariev (20) and Daniella Gilboa (20) - arrived at the initial reception point in southern Israel where they were reunited with their parents.

The Israeli prime minister’s office also confirmed the names of the released hostages. All four of them are Israeli soldiers who were seized after Hamas broke into Israel on October 7, 2023.

Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, announced late on January 15 that Doha, Cairo and Washington had brokered an agreement between Israel and Hamas to release the hostages held in Gaza and declare a ceasefire in the enclave. The deal took effect on Sunday, January 19. On the same day, three female Israeli nationals were brought back home. The Israeli authorities released 90 Palestinian prisoners from jails.