Hamas has released four female Israeli soldiers held in Gaza as part of the ceasefire agreement, handing them over to Red Cross officials in Palestine Square in Gaza City.

Later on Saturday, in exchange for the second release of the captives on Saturday, Israel said 200 Palestinians were released from its jails.

Ahead of the release in Gaza, scores of masked Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters gathered at the square where a large crowd of Palestinians also congregated.

In addition to hundreds of Hamas members, other Palestinian factions, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, were also present at the site.

Hamas identified the four female Israeli soldiers as Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag. The four captives, who were in Israeli military uniforms, waved to the crowd as they were released.

Later on Saturday, the Israeli army confirmed it received the released soldiers from the Red Cross, adding that they will undergo a medical assessment.

“The four returning hostages are currently being accompanied by IDF [Israeli army] special forces and ISA [security agency] forces on their return to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment,” the army said in a statement.

However, a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Palestinians will not be allowed to return to northern Gaza until Arbel Yehoud, one of the captives, is released. The statement said Yehoud was supposed to have been released on Saturday.

Palestinians held in Israeli jails

Of the 200 Palestinians released from Israeli jails, 121 were serving life sentences, while 79 were serving long sentences. The oldest prisoner is 69 years old while the youngest is just 15. Seventy Palestinians are due to be deported with Egypt expected to host them for 48 hours.

They will consequently be sent to Tunisia, Algeria and Turkey, which all agreed to receive them.

In Tel Aviv’s central square, dubbed Hostages Square, a big screen showed the faces of the four female soldiers that were released. In the crowd, people waved Israeli flags, while some held posters with the captives’ faces.

“I’m extremely excited, exhilarated,” one person among the crowd, Gili Roman, told The Associated Press. “In a heartbeat, in a split of a second, their lives are going to turn upside again, but right now for a positive and a good side.”