Naama Levy, one of the four IDF soldiers released from Hamas captivity on Saturday, writes a message of gratitude in her first statement since arriving home.

The female Israeli hostages who were freed on Saturday disobeyed their Hamas captors and made victory poses during the hand off ceremony to spoil the terrorists’ show, one of their fathers,

Hamas released four more hostages on Saturday, Jan. 25, and one of them is a friend of Lauren Robbins, a student at the University of Florida. “I’m so glad you’re okay and home,” shared UF student, Lauren Robbins.

Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher were the first three hostages released from Gaza on Sunday morning. They arrived in Israel, the military announced, hours after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold.

Emily Damari was one of the 251 people that Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups abducted from Israel to the Gaza Strip during their attack on October 7. She was 27 at the time but has since turned 28.

The increasingly theatrical and threatening events have angered Israel and put a cease-fire deal at risk.

Hamas is rushing to reassert control over the territory it has ruled since 2007. Its leaders are exuberant—at least in public. In private, they are arguing bitterly. The war has deepened a longtime struggle between the group’s political and military leaders and has saddled it with enormous challenges.

The ceasefire is aimed at eventually ending the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas.

Eight hostages − three Israelis and five Thai nationals − were returned to Israel Thursday after spending 482 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza. They were freed in an at-times chaotic handover in connection with a weekslong ceasefire and hostages-for-prisoners swap between Israel and the militant group aimed at ending 15 months of fighting.

The cease-fire is also a beacon of hope for Palestinians who have suffered immensely during Israel’s 15-month campaign to eradicate Hamas. The Palestinian civilian death toll is estimated to be in the tens of thousands, with more than 80 percent of the population internally displaced.

Hamas' armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, on Thursday confirmed the killing of its military leader Mohammed Deif and deputy military commander Marwan Issa in combat.