Four of the five freed surveillance soldier hostages returned home from the hospital on Wednesday, 11 days after their release from Hamas captivity in Gaza.
Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Daniella Gilboa and Karina Ariev were treated at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva since their release on January 26, during the second hostage-prisoner exchange of the current Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.
The four were released in an elaborate ceremony orchestrated by the terror group, which paraded them on stage wearing fake IDF fatigues and distributed certificates and “gift bags” to mark their 15 months of captivity in Gaza.
They stayed at the hospital several more days than planned in order to be with their friend and comrade, Agam Berger, after her release on January 30.
The soldiers were offered the chance to spend some time at the Kfar Maccabiah hotel complex in nearby Ramat Gan upon their release from the hospital, according the Kan broadcaster, but chose to return to their homes.
Berger will remain at the medical center for a few more days.
קרינה ארייב בדרך הביתה
תושבי שכונת פסגת זאב מתרגשים ומחכים לה בקבלת פנים pic.twitter.com/dfvIDCC8Pj— Inbar Twizer ענבר טויזר (@inbartvizer) February 5, 2025
Videos posted to social media showed dozens of people awaiting the four women in their hometowns with flags and welcome signs to celebrate their return.
The families of the soldiers put out a statement Wednesday as they were discharged from the hospital: “In the last ten days since our daughters: Liri, Karina, Agam, Daniela and Naama returned, the girls stayed in a private, closed compound within the hospital, where they were treated professionally and sensitively with the utmost consideration for their special condition.”
Friends and relatives welcome former Israeli hostage Daniella Gilboa, who was recently released from Hamas captivity in Gaza, as she returns home from hospital in Petah Tikva, February 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
“We are embarking on a path of rehabilitation,” the families’ statement continued, “and we are confident that the embracing and professional experience of the medical, psychological and administrative team… was a significant and important stop for healing in the continuation of each of the girls’ journey on their return home.”
(L-R) Naama Levy, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Liri Albag and Daniella Gilboa watch a concert in their honor at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, February 4, 2025 (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
“We would like to thank the people of Israel for the warmth and love that we and the girls have received. The girls are expected to have a long rehabilitation journey, and we ask that you respect the privacy, quiet and time that they need to slowly return to themselves,” the families’ concluded.
The mayor of Naama Levy’s hometown of Ra’anana, Chaim Broyde, said Wednesday that “our hearts are overflowing with excitement on the occasion of Naama’s return to us in Ra’anana, to her warm and loving home.”
“The Ra’anana community embraces our beloved Naama, and will do everything to support her and make her return to routine easier, and we look forward to the return of all the hostages to their homes,” Broyde was quoted as saying by Channel 13 news.
“עם ישראל חי”: החגיגות מחוץ לביתה של דניאלה גלבוע בפתח תקווה@shirbitton_ pic.twitter.com/gLvrKlXldV
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) February 5, 2025
The five soldiers were among seven female troops abducted from the IDF surveillance unit at the Nahal Oz army base during the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023.
One of the abducted surveillance soldiers, Ori Megidish, was later rescued alive, and the body of a second one, Noa Marciano, was recovered after she was murdered in captivity.
Since the start of the current ceasefire-hostage release deal last month, 13 Israelis and five Thai hostages have been freed from Hamas captivity. An additional 20 Israelis are slated to be released over the coming weeks, although Israel has said it believes eight of them are no longer alive.
Seventy-six of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Liri Albag gives a thumbs-up sign to a large crowd of Hamas operatives and supporters, alongside fellow Israeli hostages Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, before they are released by Hamas to the Red Cross in Gaza City, January 25, 2025. (AP Photo)
The terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that.
Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 40 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014. The body of another IDF soldier, also killed in 2014, was recovered from Gaza in January.
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