The four Israeli female soldiers who were released today by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, after 477 days of captivity, were handed over to the Israeli army by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The Israeli military spokesman said earlier that the four freed hostages are now in Israel. They underwent medical tests to check their health status and were reunited with their families.

The four female soldiers — Karina Ariev, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albagh — were serving in observation posts on the edge of Gaza and were kidnapped by Hamas fighters who stormed their base during the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel. .

All four belonged to a mostly female monitoring group based in Gaza and tasked with checking for possible movement of Hamas members.

Footage showing their arrest and that of another female soldier at the Nahal Oz military base was broadcast last year on Israeli television after permission was given by their families in an effort to raise awareness and increase pressure for their return.

The four women looked confused and were still wearing their pyjamas, according to photos taken from cameras worn by Hamas members and recovered by the Israeli military. In them, the women can be seen sitting on the floor with their hands tied, some of them covered in blood.

The four hostages who were released are:

— Naama Levi: 20 years old. Video of Levi on a jeep in Gaza circulated on social media within hours of her abduction. It shows her bruised and hacked, the back of her pants were stained with blood and her hands were tied behind her back. A gunman pushed her to get into a vehicle while bystanders shouted “God is Most High!” in Arabic. She had just started her military service when the attack took place and as she was pushed to get into the jeep she pleaded: “I have friends in Palestine,” according to the footage.

–Daniella Gilboa: 20 years old. She was injured during the October 7 attack and can be seen limping in the video showing her arrest.

Last year she appeared in a video released by Hamas, showing her angrily appealing to the government to work for her release and saying she felt abandoned.

–Leary Albaugh: 19 years old. She was taken hostage a day and a half after starting her military service, Israeli media reported. Earlier this month Hamas released a video showing her reading a message calling for her release.

–Karina Ariev: 20 years old. Shortly before she was arrested she managed to speak briefly with her parents and sent her family a farewell message, Israeli media reported. A photo of her in hostage conditions subsequently released by Hamas shows her with her head bound and blood stains on the bandage.