Hamas Saturday freed four Israeli female soldiers after 477 days of captivity in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Army said. The soldiers crossed into Israeli territory before reuniting with their families after their captivity ended thanks to the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel,

But the UN's special rapporteur for Palestine, Francesca Albanese, denounced the statements by both Trump and Smotrich, saying: "Ethnic cleansing is anything but an 'out-of the box' thinking, no matter how one packages it. It is illegal, immoral and irresponsible."

First phase of deal includes Palestinian detainees’ release in exchange for hostages, with Israeli forces expected to withdraw in 2nd stage and finally, Gaza’s rebuilding in 3rd phase.

Three female Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for 15 months have been released and brought back to Israel, after a long-awaited ceasefire deal took effect. Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari, who is also a British citizen, were due to be freed in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

The 42-day first phase of the ceasefire should see a total of 33 hostages returned from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released.

GAZA/JERUSALEM - The Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement on Saturday released the second batch of Israeli hostages, four women who were received by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza City.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza went into effect on Sunday morning. Hostages held in the strip and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails will be freed in the first phase of the deal. Meanwhile,

Hamas released three Israeli hostages and Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, on the first day of a ceasefire suspending a 15-month-old war that has devastated the Gaza Strip and inflamed the Middle East.

A group of Palestinian prisoners released by Israel arrived in war-torn Gaza on Saturday, greeted by jubilant families and cheering crowds celebrating their return. Their homecoming was marked by a mix of joy and sorrow after years of captivity.

Fifteen Israeli hostages were released from more than 15 months of captivity in Gaza over the past two weeks. They have a long recovery ahead of them.

Khamis and Ahmad Imarah knew they wouldn’t find much more than rubble when returning to their home in northern Gaza. But they had to go. Their father and brother are still buried under the debris, more than a year after their home was struck by Israeli forces.