The second batch of Israeli hostages set to be released by Hamas this weekend are four female soldiers, an advocacy group representing the captives’ family members confirmed Friday. Hamas had announced the names hours earlier.Under the terms of the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal , fighting will be halted in Gaza for at least six weeks. Dozens of Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be freed, while more aid flows in . In exchange for the four soldiers being released Saturday, Israel should release 200 Palestinian prisoners or detainees, including 120 militants serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks. The first exchange took place Sunday with the release of three Israeli hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners . Meanwhile, Palestinians displaced from war-battered northern Gaza are facing an agonizing wait before the ceasefire allows them to go back to what remains of their homes. And even as the fighting has stopped in Gaza, Israel is carrying out a major military operation in the occupied West Bank, killing at least 14 people according to health authorities there.Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians , according to Gaza health authorities. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians. The war was sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 , attack on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people.
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