Israel was readying Saturday for the arrival of a second group of hostages released from Hamas captivity, as images of the first 13 returnees reuniting with their loved ones swept the nation.

The expected release Saturday afternoon will come on the second day of a pause in fighting as part of a hostage deal that went into effect Friday at 7 a.m. The temporary truce between Israel and Hamas includes a four-day pause in the war, the first since Hamas’s October 7 assault on Israel, and the release of some 50 Israeli hostages in groups of roughly a dozen per day. The truce can potentially be extended for one extra day for each group of 10 more hostages freed by Hamas.

On Friday night, Israel received the list of hostages who are slated to be released Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said. After reviewing the list, Israeli security officials notified hostages’ families, the PMO said — both those who are and are not on the latest list.

The second group was again expected to include 13 Israelis, and was said to include more children than on Friday.

Only four of the 13 Israelis released Friday were children. Hamas and other terror factions abducted some 240 people on October 7, including about 40 children. Israel demanded the release of children and their mothers as a priority in the current deal.

Netanyahu’s office has urged the media to act with caution and avoid publicizing the names of those on the list before they are back in Israel.

Meanwhile, the Israel Prison Service said it had received a list of 42 Palestinian prisoners who will be released later in the day as part of the deal with Hamas. The number lent credence to reports 14 Israeli hostages will be freed, as Israel is freeing three Palestinian prisoners for every hostage.

The Prison Service said the prisoners would be moved to Ofer Prison in the West Bank for medical checks by the International Red Cross, ahead of their release to the West Bank or East Jerusalem. The same process took place on Friday.

The prisoners will go free only after the second group of Israeli hostages is released and properly identified.

Meanwhile, in a rare move, a small Qatari private jet landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport Saturday, with a delegation of officials from the Gulf nation that has no officials ties with Israel, but whose mediation with Hamas was key to the current hostage release deal.

Hebrew media outlets reported that the team was in Israel to discuss the current agreement, as well as potential future deals. Previously, Mossad chief David Barnea had flown to Qatar to negotiate the current deal.

The flight arrived from Larnaca in Cyprus. Channel 12 reported it had stopped there briefly in order to avoid a direct flight from Doha to Tel Aviv.

Israeli officials did not comment on the jet’s arrival.

As part of a separate deal between Bangkok and Hamas, 11 foreign nationals — 10 Thais and one Filipino — were released by Hamas on Friday after being abducted on October 7. Thailand has said it believes some 20 more are held in Gaza. It was unclear if more Thai citizens would be freed Saturday.

Thailand’s deputy ambassador to Israel told Ynet that Bangkok welcomed Friday’s release but “anxiously awaiting the return of our other citizens.”

Thirteen Israelis, including three mothers and their four young children, returned to Israel Friday night after being held hostage in Gaza for 49 days. The released hostages are only a small group out of some 240 held by Gaza terrorists since October 7, when 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists slaughtered 1,200 people in southern Israel, most of them civilians, amid shocking acts of brutality.

All returned in relatively good physical condition, according to doctors who have been treating them since their arrival. Wolfson Medical Center, which treated a number of elderly returnees, said some of the women were “feeble and exhausted.” All remained under observation at hospitals alongside their families.

More and more photos and videos of the freed hostages smiling and embracing with their families flew across Israeli news outlets and social media Saturday.

The hostages were met by members of the Shin Bet security service in Egypt and then ferried by the Israel Defense Forces in an operation dubbed “Heaven’s Door” via the Kerem Shalom crossing into Israel. They were taken to Hatzerim Airbase near Beersheba for an initial reception and to undergo a short physical and mental checkup. They were then taken to medical centers in central Israel by helicopter and ambulance, to be reunited with their relatives.

Crowds lined roads in southern Israel as ambulances passed through, and dozens gathered outside the hospitals to cheer as the released hostages disembarked from the helicopters.

Ahead of the releases, the military has assigned a single soldier to accompany each child or family from Egypt. Soldiers were instructed to identify themselves and speak reassuringly to the children, but at the same time not hold their hand or carry them unless they agreed. Should those actions be necessary, the soldier was told to explain exactly what they were doing and why.

As a general instruction for the operation over the coming days, soldiers were told to avoid answering any questions by released children about the whereabouts of their parents or other relatives — some of whom were murdered on October 7 while others remain hostage in Gaza.

The military prepared psychologists and mental health experts to greet the hostages. The experts will gradually explain to them what happened in their communities on October 7, when they believe the time is right.

The Health Ministry has set up strict protocols for the treatment of the released hostages.

Emanuel Fabian, Jacob Magid, Tal Schneider and Renee Ghert-Zand contributed to this report.