Three hostages are to be released on Sunday, the first day of the ceasefire. Those returnees have already been identified as 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher, 24-year-old Romi Gonen and 28-year-old Emily Damari, an Israeli-UK national, it was cleared for publication.

On Saturday, four hostages will be released and then three captives will be freed each week for the following four weeks. By the end of the sixth week, Hisham al-Sayed and Avraham Mengistu, who have been held in Gaza since 2014 and 2015 respectively, will also be freed. The remaining 12 will be released on the last week of phase one.

The final number of the terrorists to be released in the deal will depend on how many of the 33 hostages are alive. While many would be sent back to their homes in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, the highest profile prisoners like Marwan Barghouti will likely be deported.

The fate of the remaining 65 hostages will be determined by negotiations to begin on the ceasefire’s 16th day of the ceasefire. Critics say the phased approach condemns hostages not freed in the beginning to open-ended captivity and undermines Israel’s war gains.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Prison Service is gearing up to release the imprisoned terrorists.

The Palestinians to be freed will first be taken to the Ofer Prison north of Jerusalem, where they will be identified by representatives of the Red Cross and wait for the hostages to arrive. After receiving approval from Israel authorities, the Red Cross will transport the prisoners to various release points.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 95 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead.

This is a developing story.