Two hostages have arrived in Israel being handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas. 

Yarden Bibas, 35, and French-Israeli Ofer Kalderon, 54, were handed over to the Red Cross after each climbed on a stage and waved to onlookers.

Palestinian authorities say Israel has agreed to release dozens of prisoners in the fourth round of exchanges during the Gaza ceasefire deal.

The truce, which began Jan 19, is aimed at winding down the war between Hamas and Israel. 

The fragile deal has held for nearly two weeks, halting the fighting and allowing for more aid to flow into the tiny coastal territory.

Both hostages had been abducted during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war. 

American-Israeli Keith Siegel, 65, is also set to be released on Saturday and is expected to be handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza City to the north.

A total of 33 Israeli hostages are expected to be freed in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners during the truce’s initial six weeks. 

Israel says it has received information from Hamas that eight of those hostages were either killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack or have died in captivity

Palestinians are expected to be allowed to leave Gaza for Egypt through the Rafah crossing on Saturday.

It had been the only exit point for Palestinians during the war before Israel closed it in May. A European Union civilian mission was deployed on Friday to prepare for the reopening of the crossing.

In Israel, the release of Bibas has brought renewed attention to — and concern for — the fate of his wife, Shiri, and their two young sons. All four were captured from Kibbutz Nir Oz.

A video of their abduction by armed men showed Shiri swaddling in a blanket her two redheaded boys — Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months old at the time.

Kfir was the youngest of about 250 people taken captive on Oct. 7, and his plight quickly came to represent the helplessness and anger the hostage-taking stirred in Israel, where the Bibas family has become a household name.

Hamas has said Shiri and her sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel has not confirmed that, but a military spokesman recently acknowledged serious concern about their fates.

Yarden Bibas is believed to have been held separately from his family. Photos taken during his abduction appeared to show him wounded.

Like Bibas, Kalderon was also captured from Kibbutz Nir Oz. His two children and ex-wife, Hadas, were also taken, but they were freed during the 2023 ceasefire.

In Kfar Saba, north of Tel Aviv, Kalderon’s family hugged and cheered as they saw the images of him climbing onto the stage in Khan Younis and being transferred to the Red Cross.

“Ofer is coming home!” they said, arms lifted to the sky.

Keith Siegel, originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was taken hostage from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, along with his wife, Aviva Siegel. She was released during the 2023 ceasefire and has waged a high-profile campaign to free Keith and other hostages.

More than 100 hostages were released during a weeklong ceasefire in Nov. 2023. About 80 more hostages are still in Gaza, at least a third of them believed dead. Israel says Hamas has confirmed that eight of the 33 to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire are dead.

Israel and Hamas are set next week to begin negotiating a second phase of the ceasefire, which calls for releasing the remaining hostages and extending the truce indefinitely. The war could resume in early March if an agreement is not reached.