The hostage handover on Saturday was the most choreographed yet from Hamas. A stage was erected in Palestine Square, in Gaza City, where hundreds of masked militants carrying automatic weapons guarded the scene.
Hamas appeared to be trying to show that it was still very much in command in Gaza, despite its battering throughout the 15-month war.
When Hamas handed over the four Israeli female soldiers on Saturday, they also dressed them in makeshift army uniforms.
The four women, ages 19 and 20, were dressed in green khaki-style jackets and pants, their hair pulled back in tidy ponytails.
On the stage where the women were brought during their release, a large banner hung reading, “Zionism will not win.” The banner also showed military unit symbols that are often seen on Israeli uniform tags, as well as Shin Bet – Israel’s Internal Security Agency – symbols.
In contrast, the three hostages released last week, who were not serving soldiers, were wearing bright-colored civilian clothing.
Videos of the four soldiers’ kidnapping by Hamas on October 7, 2023 had gone viral. Most of the women were dressed in civilian clothes at the time of their taking, including pajamas when they were pulled from their bedrooms. Videos showed them covered in blood.
In one video, Naama Levy was dragged by her hair at gunpoint, her hands are bound, her ankles cut.
Throughout the 15-month Israel-Hamas war, 841 Israeli soldiers were killed, including 405 fighting in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the health ministry there, saying that most of whom are women and children.
