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Four of the Israeli soldiers who took Hamas shelter were with Israeli forces after being handed over to Red Cross staff on Saturday, as a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip entered its second week.

About 200 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons were also released later in the day, according to the terms of the agreement that halted more than 15 months of war. The truce came into force last Sunday with the release Three Israeli civilian hostages And 90 Palestinian detainees.

The four soldiers returning to Israel—Liri Albag, 19, Daniela Gilboa, 20, Karina Ariev, 20, and Naama Levy, 20—were seized from a military outpost on the Israeli border at the Hamas border on October 7, 2023. This sparked the conflict . Photos and video of their bloody kidnapping were broadcast last year. Their freedom has become a major demand of the hostage release movement that has circulated around the families of those still detained in Gaza.

The handover of masked Hamas militants to the Red Cross occurred in Palestine Square in Gaza City, amid hundreds of uniformed and armed militants and interested onlookers.

The four Israeli women walked across the square, and onto a small stage holding a banner, in Hebrew, that read “Zionism will not win.” After waving briefly to the crowd, they were ushered into Red Cross vehicles.

The Red Cross then drove the four to a transfer point where they were handed over to Israeli special forces and intelligence agents.

The show of force by Hamas extended across the Gaza Strip, with convoys of white vending trucks filled with militants and flying the green Hamas flag on Arab television stations and social media.

This second installment of Pregoner’s release was thrown into doubt on Friday night after Hamas announced that four soldiers would be released.

Israeli officials claimed that this was a violation of the terms of the agreement which called for the civilian women still alive – of whom one was believed to be captured – to be released in front of the soldiers. However, the Israeli government has decided to move forward, and it remains unclear whether the civilian, Arbel Yehud, will be released as part of next week’s exchange.

US-led mediators secured a six-week ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas this month, the first stage of a complex three-stage agreement that could permanently end the war and secure the release of the remaining 90 hostages held by Hamas.

Donald Trump had warned there would be “all hell to pay” if a deal was not reached before his inauguration on Monday. On Friday, the new US president said: “You should stick to the deal, but if there are not too many problems.”

Under the terms of the agreement, the first phase consists of the release of 33 Israeli hostages – including children, women, the sick and the elderly – in exchange for some 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, hundreds of whom are serving long sentences on terrorism and murder charges. The releases are scheduled to take place in weekly installments over the 42 days of the first phase.

During this time, Israeli forces will withdraw from densely populated areas in the shattered territories and displaced Palestinians will be allowed to return to their homes in northern Gaza starting Saturday. Humanitarian aid entering the strip has already increased sharply over the past week.

By the sixteenth day of Phase One, Israel and Hamas are scheduled to begin negotiating the details of Phase Two, during which the remaining living hostages will be released in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and a complete end to the war. The final phase will include the return of the bodies of the deceased hostages and the beginning of the rebuilding of Gaza.