Who are the hostages being released?
When the cease-fire deal was reached this month after more than a year of negotiations, about 100 hostages, some dead, were thought to be held captive in Gaza.
Three hostages — Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher — were released on the first day of the cease-fire on Sunday in exchange for about 90 Palestinian prisoners, including prominent Palestinian leaders and militants accused of orchestrating deadly attacks against Israelis.
On Saturday, Hamas freed four female Israeli soldiers who were abducted from their base during the Oct. 7 assault. The women, all teenagers when they were captured, were “spotters” for the army, tasked with keep an eye out for suspicious activity across the nearby border.
The four, Karina Ariev, 20; Daniella Gilboa, 20; Naama Levy, 20; and Liri Albag, 19, were freed in a highly choreographed display by Hamas meant to show its continued power in the enclave. The women, who were dressed in military-style fatigues, waved and smiled during a brief ceremony on a makeshift stage.
They were then transferred by the Red Cross into Israeli custody and brought by helicopter to an Israeli hospital, where hundreds had gathered to welcome their arrival.
In exchange, Israel released 200 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Some, who had been in prison for decades, were being released into exile in neighboring countries like Egypt.
How do the releases work?
Palestinian prisoners are being released every seven days in exchange for hostages, according to the plan.
During the sixth and final week, once all 33 hostages have been returned to Israel, Israel will release 47 prisoners who were rearrested after being freed in a 2011 deal in which over 1,000 Palestinians were freed in exchange for a captive Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.
The Israeli authorities have established three reception points to receive the hostages along the Gaza border, according to an Israeli military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in accordance with protocol. Those reception points will have Israeli soldiers, doctors and psychologists, said the official.
How many Palestinian prisoners are being freed?
More than 1,500 — meaning that the initial deal will most likely become one of the largest prisoner exchanges in Israeli history if completed. Of the dozens of Palestinians in Israel who will be released for each hostage in the initial six-week phase, some are serving life sentences.
According to the agreement, the release of a living female hostage or civilian under 18 requires the release of 30 Palestinian female or minor prisoners.
The two sides will swap each male Israeli civilian who is 50 or older and is alive for 30 Palestinian prisoners. A female Israeli soldier who is alive requires the release of 50 Palestinian prisoners. A total of 110 Palestinian prisoners are to be released in exchange for nine male Israeli civilians who are wounded or sick.
Israel is also due to release about 1,000 Gazans who were detained over the course of the war, on the condition that they did not participate in the Hamas-led attack of October 2023.
How many hostages were released before the cease-fire?
Some 105 hostages — mostly women and children — were freed in November 2023 during a weeklong truce between Israel and Hamas. In exchange, Israel released 240 Palestinian women and teenage prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Early in the war, Hamas unilaterally released four hostages — two Israeli-American women and two Israeli women. Israel has also freed eight hostages in military operations, at least one of which was accompanied by devastating bombing and high Palestinian casualties.
The bodies of more than 35 others were brought back to Israel in various operations over the course of the war, according to the Israeli government.
How many American hostages are left in Gaza?
In a speech this month, Antony J. Blinken, then secretary of state, said that seven of the 12 Americans abducted during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, were still being held captive. They include Sagui Dekel-Chen, who was abducted from his hometown, Nir Oz, near the Gaza border. Another, Edan Alexander, was spotted in an undated Hamas hostage video in November.
Some, like Itay Chen, a 19-year-old soldier, and Omer Neutra, a 21-year-old tank commander from Long Island, N.Y., are presumed dead by the Israeli authorities. Hamas continues to hold their bodies as bargaining chips for future swaps, Israel says.
Ephrat Livni contributed reporting.