It was a scene of jubilation which masked the anguish of 477 days in brutal captivity.
Smiling and waving, four female Israeli soldiers, held hostage by Hamas since their capture on October 7, 2023, were freed under the Gaza ceasefire deal yesterday.
Karina Ariev, 20, Daniella Gilboa, 20, Naama Levy, 20, and Liry Albag, 19, were among 250 hostages captured by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023.
Those surprise attacks, who ignited the ferocious 15-month war between Israel and the terrorist organisation, also left some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, dead.
In an attempt by Hamas to show that it still controls Gaza, the four soldiers – many of whom were still wearing pyjamas on the early hours of that fateful day – were paraded wearing makeshift uniforms in a carefully stage-managed event in Gaza city’s Palestine Square, flanked by some of the masked militants from both Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, who also took part in the attacks.
The chilling spectacle only ended when they were handed over to the Red Cross.
In exchange, Israel released 200 Palestinian prisoners.
All four women were taken hostage after terrorists overran the Nahal Oz base near the Gaza border where they were stationed, killing more than 60 soldiers.
Ms Ariev was kidnapped as her sister Alexandra heard gunfire during a phone call between the two.
A video released by Hamas later showed her being taken away in a vehicle.
Ms Gilboa, appeared in a video released in July last year where she was forced to appeal for the Israeli government to secure the release of all hostages.
Ms Levy had only just begun her military service when she was captured and was filmed by Hamas as they bundled her into the back of a Jeep with her hands tied behind her back.
Ms Alban had also just entered military training as a lookout when the attack took place. Her family has received messages from her through other released hostages.
But there was no sign of Agam Berger, 20, a fifth female soldier in their unit who was also abducted.
Berger, who also acted as an observer, is known to be the prisoner that began the habit of biding the hair of female prisoners about to be released.
“She braided the hair of the girls she knew were being released, even though she had to stay behind.It was her way of sending them off with love and strength,“ said her mother, Merav.
She was expected to be released next week.
Hundreds of people lined Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, where they were watching the drama unfold on big screen televisions.
“I had goosebumps watching them,” said Aviv Bercovich, one of the onlookers. “I just want the war to end.”
But Israel‘s army spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari criticised what he called the “cynical” public display of the young women by Hamas before their release.
He also said that Israel is concerned about the fate of the two youngest hostages – Kfir and Ariel Bibas – and their mother Shiri. Kfir Bibas marked his second birthday in captivity earlier this month.
The freed hostages were taken to an Israeli army base, where they were reunited with their parents, and could be seen in pictures hugging them emotionally.
As they arrived by helicopter to a Tel Aviv hospital, thousands of people dancing and celebrating outside outside looked up to see them land.
The scenes of celebration were mirrored in the West Bank, where thousands of Palestinians gathered in Ramallah to celebrate the arrival of buses carrying the prisoners. Many waved Palestinian flags or the flags of different political factions.
Of the 200 released from Israeli detention, 121 who were serving life sentences, according to a list released by Hamas.
The more notorious militants being released include Mohammad Odeh, 52, and Wael Qassim, 54, both from east Jerusalem. They were accused of carrying out a series of deadly Hamas attacks against Israelis, including a bombing at a cafeteria at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2002 that killed nine people, including five US citizens.
Around 70 were expelled to Egypt, though some may eventually go to other countries, with Algeria, Tunisia and Turkey all expressing a willingness to take them in, according to Abdullah al-Zaghari, the head of a Palestinian prisoner advocacy group.