By Maayan Lubell, Nidal al-Mughrabi and Dawoud Abu Alkas
JERUSALEM/CAIRO/GAZA (Reuters) -The Palestinian militant movement Hamas handed four female Israeli soldier hostages over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza on Saturday, releasing them in return for some 200 Palestinian prisoners.
The four hostages were led onto a podium in Gaza City amid a large crowd of Palestinians and surrounded by dozens of armed Hamas men. They waved and smiled before being led off, entering ICRC vehicles and being transported to Israeli forces.
The Israeli military said it had received the four in Gaza. They are being released in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners under a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending the 15-month-old war in Gaza.
The four soldiers – Karina Ariev, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag – were all stationed at an observation post on the edge of Gaza and abducted by Hamas fighters who overran their base…
