ReutersHamas has designated four hostages to be released on Saturday under a ceasefire in Gaza.
They are said to be soldiers Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag. They will be released in exchange for 180 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
It would be the second such confrontation since the ceasefire came into effect last Sunday.
In the first exchange, three hostages and 90 prisoners were released.
The ceasefire ends the war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Some 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken back to Gaza as hostages.
The Hamas health ministry in Gaza said more than 47,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, had been killed in the Israeli offensive.
Hamas is also expected to provide information on the remaining 26 hostages, who are due to be released within the next five weeks.
Among them were the Bibas family – two parents and two children, one of whom, Kfir, was the youngest hostage at 10 months old when captured. It was unclear whether the information included the names of the hostages or just the number of hostages alive or dead.
The prisoners who will be released fall into a more serious category than those released in the first exchange. These include those who committed the murders, some of whom are serving prison sentences of more than 15 years.
Israel insists it will not release anyone involved in the October 7 attack.
Aliyev, Gilboa, Levy and Arbagh were captured at the Nahar Oz military base that was occupied by Hamas gunmen. The video shows a group of women surrounding them, their hands tied behind their backs. They were seen asking for help while being taunted by their captors.
The women were part of a force monitoring the border between Israel and Gaza.
Three weeks ago, Hamas released a video of 19-year-old Albagh calling on the Israeli government to reach a deal.
Israel and Hamas, led by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, reached a ceasefire after months of indirect negotiations.
It will be implemented in three phases, with the second phase starting six weeks after the truce. In the first phase, some 1,900 Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for 33 hostages. Israeli troops will also begin withdrawing from the Gaza Strip, and hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians will be able to return to areas they fled or were forced to leave.
The ceasefire aims to permanently end the war in Gaza.
The 91 hostages taken on October 7, 2023 are still being held in Gaza. Israel believes 57 of them are still alive. Three others – two of whom are still alive – have been locked up for a decade or more.
Three Israeli hostages have been released as part of the latest ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Romi Gonen, 24, was arrested while trying to flee the Nova music festival, which was targeted by the armed group in an attack on October 7, 2023.
She was released along with veterinary nurse Doron Steinbrecher, 31, and Emily Damari, 28, a dual British-Israeli national.
The three returned to Israel on Sunday and were reunited with their families after being released by Hamas in Gaza.
