Tears Of Joy As Families Cheer Release Of 4 Israeli Women Soldiers By Hamas In Truce Deal | Video

Last Updated:January 25, 2025, 4:42 PM IST

The four women, who had been held captive for over 15 months, returned to Israel after Hamas militants handed them over to the Red Cross

The emotional video, showing the families’ reaction, was shared by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on its social media platform, X. (Screengrab via X/@IDF)

Families of the four Israeli women soldiers, who had been held captive by Hamas for 477 days, cheered and cried with joy as they watched footage of their release in Gaza on Saturday.

The four women, who had been held captive for over 15 months, returned to Israel after Hamas militants handed them over to the Red Cross as part of a truce deal in the ongoing Gaza conflict.

The emotional video, showing the families’ reaction, was shared by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on its social media platform, X.

“The moment when tears of sadness turned into tears of joy as the released hostages’ families saw their loved ones finally coming back home,” the IDF wrote alongside the video.

In Tel Aviv, jubilant crowds gathered in “Hostage Square” to watch footage of the hostages being released. Waving Israeli flags and holding up pictures of the four women, all soldiers, the crowd erupted in cheers as they saw the footage of the women being handed over to the Red Cross on a big screen.

The four Israeli women were reunited with their parents in southern Israel shortly after their release, according to the military.

They were accompanied by army medics and would undergo an initial medical assessment, the military said in a statement.

The hostages—IDF soldiers Liri Albag, 19; Daniella Gilboa, 20; Karina Ariev, 20; and Naama Levy, 20—were among seven female soldiers abducted from the Nahal Oz base during Hamas’ brutal attack on October 7, 2023, which claimed the lives of over 1,200 people.

(With inputs from agencies)