Israel and Hamas are ready to swap more hostages to prisoners in another test of Gaza weapon rest

Deir al-Balah, Gazastrip (AP) -Crowds began gathering in Tel Aviv and Gaza City on Saturday before the expected swap between Israel and Hamas by several hostages for Palestinian prisoners, the other such exchange since a ceasefire began in Gaza Strip last weekend and another test for the deal.

The ceasefire is aimed at setting the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and the militant group. The fragile agreement has so far held, quiet air strikes and rockets and enabled increased help to flow into the small coastal area.

On Tel Aviv’s hostages, a large screen square the faces of the four female soldiers who are expected to be released. Some in the growing audience had Israeli flags, others held posters with the hostages’ faces.

“I’m very excited, excited,” said spectator Gili novel. “In a heartbeat, in a split of a second, their lives will turn upside down again, but right now for a positive and a good side.”

He said his sister was released in the only other truce in November, but another relative was killed in captivity.

When the ceasefire started on Sunday, three hostages that the militants had were released in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners, all women and children. On Saturday, four hostages are expected to be released for 200 prisoners, including 120, who are serving life judge after being convicted of deadly attacks on Israelis. They are likely to be released in Gaza or sent abroad.

The four Israeli soldiers, Karina Aariev, 20, Daniella Gilboa, 20, Naama Levy, 20, and Liri Albag, 19, were captured in Hamas’ 7. October 2023, attacked that ignited the war.

They were taken from the Nahal OZ base near the border with Gaza when Palestinian militant exceeded it and killed more than 60 soldiers there. The female abducted had all earned in a unit of lookout accused of monitoring threats along the border. A fifth female soldier in their unit, Agam Berger, 20, was abducted with them, but not included in the list.

Israeli Military issued a statement on Saturday morning and said the preparations had ended to receive the hostages and give them medical treatment and personal support at the initial reception points, then transfer them to hospitals and reunite them with their families.

In Gaza City’s Central Palestine Square, a quantity began gathering early as militants worked to wind an area where the hostages were expected to be handed over to the Red Cross.

Dozens of armed and masked militant also parade in vehicles through the city’s streets, said resident Radwan Abu Rawiya, who was part of the Palestine Square volume.

Children ran with militant vehicles when festive firearms ried out, he said in a telephone interview.

“People are celebrating and waiting to see the hostages,” he said.

After the prey, Israel is expected to begin the war.

Palestinians are only allowed to move north on foot, with vehicle traffic limited until later in the ceasefire.

The Hamas-driven Interior Ministry said displaced Palestinians are allowed to return to Northern Gaza from Sunday.

In a statement on Saturday, the ministry, who oversees police forces, said Palestinians will be able to move between southern and northern Gaza on foot through Coastal Rashid Road.

What happens after the agreement’s initial six-week phase is uncertain, but many hope it will lead to the end of a war that has smoothed wide cuts of Gaza, displaced the vast majority of its population, leaving hundreds of thousands of people at risk of a risk of famine.

The conflict began with a cross -border attack led by Hamas on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 others hostage.

More than 100 hostages were released in a week’s long ceasefire the following month. But dozens have been in captivity for over a year without contact with the outside world. Israel believes that at least one -third of the more than 90 prisoners still in Gaza were killed in the preliminary attack or died in captivity.

Israeli Air and Earth War, one of the deadliest and most destructive for decades, has killed over 47,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials who did not say how many were militants. They say women and children make up more than half the death.

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Follow the coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

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Magdy reported from Cairo. Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv and David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this story.

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