Hamas has released the names of four female soldiers expected to be freed on Saturday as part of the ceasefire deal with Israel.
Hostages Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, all aged 20, and 19-year-old Liri Albag, who were serving with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), are set to return to Israel in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
It follows the release of three Israeli hostages, including British citizen Emily Damari, last weekend and comes as the ceasefire approaches its second week.
Israel has yet to confirm the latest names.
Karina Ariev, 20, taken from Nahal-Oz. Pic: Bring Them Home Now
Daniella Gilboa, 20, taken from Nahal-Oz. Pic: Bring Them Home Now
Under the terms of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, 33 hostages are to be freed over the course of six weeks in return for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.
Among the roughly 250 people abducted in Israel on 7 October, some have died in captivity in Gaza, while others have been released or rescued.
Including the four hostages expected to be released on Saturday, 91 of those taken captive on 7 October, 2023 are still yet to return home.
Liri Albag, 19, taken from Nahal-Oz. Pic: Bring Them Home Now
Naama Levy, 20, taken from Nahal-Oz. Pic: Bring Them Home Now
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The ceasefire, brokered with the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the US, has brought a pause to 15 months of brutal fighting in Gaza that has razed much of the enclave to the ground.
More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, according to Hamas-run authorities in Gaza.