Hamas fighters gather in Gaza for Israeli hostage handover

Shafaq News/ Hundreds of armed Hamas members are gathering at the site of the Israeli hostages' handover in Gaza City, where the operation is set to take place in the coming hours.

Footage from Gaza showed celebratory platforms with hundreds of residents gathering in the area, as Palestinian flags were raised on buildings that had not been hit by the year-long Israeli airstrikes, which resulted in over 47,000 deaths, the majority of whom were women and children.

Meanwhile, reports indicated that Hamas could begin the handover process in the coming hours, with Red Cross vehicles approaching the site.

The reports also mentioned the presence of armed members of the Islamic Jihad movement, noting that one female hostage appeared to be held by the group, which is why they are involved in the handover alongside Hamas.

Within the second exchange under the recent ceasefire agreement, Israel is set to release 200 Palestinian detainees, including 120 Palestinian activists serving life sentences, in exchange for four Israeli hostages: Karina Arif, Danielle Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Elbag.