Four women soldiers, abducted by Palestinian militants on October 7, 2023 while doing their military service near the Gaza border, were released on Saturday, following more than 15 months in captivity.
Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy were reunited with their families in Israel, the military said, with crowds shedding tears of joy as they gathered to watch their release at a plaza in Tel Aviv known as Hostage Square.
Clutching Hamas-branded gift bags and wearing military fatigues, the four Israeli hostages handed over by Hamas on Saturday to the Red Cross waved and gave thumbs up as they were paraded on stage before dozens of militants and a huge crowd.
Hundreds of Gaza residents who gathered to watch the scene responded with cheers, whistles and shouts before the women were escorted off stage and into the hands of the Red Cross, an AFP reporter said.
The Lebanese army said Saturday it was ready to deploy its forces in the country's south, accusing Israel of "procrastination" in its withdrawal under a ceasefire, a day before the pullout deadline.
Under the terms of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire that came into effect on November 27, the Lebanese army is to deploy alongside United Nations peacekeepers in the south as the Israeli army withdraws over a 60-day period that ends Sunday.
The Israel-Hamas war has put back development in Gaza by 60 years and mobilising the tens of billions of dollars needed for reconstruction will be an uphill task, the United Nations said.
Around two-thirds of all buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged, and removing the estimated 42 million tonnes of rubble will be dangerous and complex, the head of the UN Development Programme told AFP.
Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who are poised to return to the US terrorism blacklist, released more than 150 prisoners of war in tearful scenes on Saturday.
Those freed, who included elderly men with long, grey beards, hugged and kissed relatives, some of them crying, as they were reunited in the rebel-held capital Sanaa.
The second unilateral release in eight months took place with the Huthis in the sights of not only US President Donald Trump but also the United Nations, after they detained seven UN humanitarian staff on Thursday.
Some of the few remaining survivors of Auschwitz will gather at the site of the Nazi death camp on Monday as the world marks the 80th anniversary of its liberation in the final months of World War II.
Around 50 ex-inmates are expected at a ceremony outside the historic gate of Auschwitz II-Birkenau alongside dozens of leaders including King Charles III and French President Emmanuel Macron.
"This year we will focus on the survivors and their message," Auschwitz Museum spokesman Pawel Sawicki told AFP. "There will not be any speeches by politicians."
Applause and cheers filled a Tel Aviv square on Saturday as Gaza militants released four Israeli hostages, followed by celebrations in the occupied West Bank when Israel freed 200 Palestinian prisoners in exchange.
While Israel and militant group Hamas completed their second hostage-prisoner swap under a ceasefire deal aimed at paving the way for a permanent end to their war, a last-minute dispute blocked the expected return of hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to the Gaza Strip's devastated north.
Hundreds of truckloads of aid have entered Gaza since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire began last weekend, but its distribution inside the devastated territory remains an enormous challenge.
The destruction of the infrastructure that previously processed deliveries and the collapse of the structures that used to maintain law and order make the safe delivery of aid to the territory's 2.4 million people a logistical and security nightmare.
Four young women soldiers, abducted by Palestinian militants on October 7, 2023 while serving near the Gaza border, are set to be released on Saturday, according to a list provided by Hamas as part of its ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy were captured together while deployed in a surveillance unit at the Nahal Oz military base, close to the Gaza border.
Their abduction was filmed by the militants.
Saudi Arabia "needs to punch at (its) weight" on the global stage given its growing institutional presence and the return of Donald Trump, the kingdom's finance minister told AFP in Davos.
The wealthiest country in the Arab world has taken a larger place on the international scene since assuming the presidency of the G20 in 2020, and is seeking the right balance between its Western allies and emerging countries.
