Photo courtesy Al Jazeera
Earlier on Friday, Hamas confirmed it would proceed with the captives' handover on Saturday, saying it was "keen to implement" the Gaza ceasefire deal after receiving assurances from mediators of Israel's commitment to the agreement.
Fighters from Hamas military wing and Islamic Jihad's armed wing were seen on Saturday morning in Khan Younis as they prepared for the handover near the home of martyred Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in combat during the war on Gaza.
The Qassam Brigades and the al-Quds Brigades deployed across the area, where a platform was set up for the handover to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
On Friday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it had received the names of three captives—Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov, Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, and Israeli-Argentinian Yair Horn—who were set to be released by Hamas at 9:30 am Saturday.
According to Quds News Network, the captives will be transferred in a vehicle seized by the Qassam Brigades on 7 October.
A source from Al-Qassam Brigades told Al Jazeera that the brigades presented Israeli prisoner Dekel Chen, who is set to be released today, with a golden coin as a gift for his daughter, who was born four months after his capture, Quds News Network reported.
Banners raised by Palestinian factions at the site read: 'No migration except to Jerusalem,' a response to Trump's Gaza displacement plan, and 'O Jerusalem, we are your soldiers.'
In exchange, Israel will release 369 prisoners, including 36 serving life sentences and 333 detainees from Gaza arrested after 7 October, according to the Detainees' Media Office.
The Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group said 24 of those set to be released are expected to be deported from the Palestinian territories.
The Media Office added on Saturday that Israeli forces were storming the homes of several Palestinian prisoners ahead of their release today.
"We are keen to implement it (the ceasefire) and oblige the occupation to fully abide by it," Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou said in a statement on Friday.
He added that mediators Egypt, Qatar, and the US were pressuring Israel on Friday "to resume the exchange process" and abide by the ceasefire terms.
As part of the 42-day first stage of the ceasefire-prisoner swap deal, which has been in effect since 19 January, Israel would allow the entry of aid, tents, and caravans/mobile homes to shelter displaced Palestinians and bulldozers to start removing debris and rubble left by 15 months of bombing in the strip.
However, Israel has blocked the entry of caravans and heavy equipment as stipulated in the deal.
Earlier this week, Hamas threatened to delay the release of Israeli captives, scheduled for Saturday, until Israel met the terms of the agreement.
On Saturday, the mother of an Israeli soldier held captive in Gaza said the prisoner exchange was fragile because of the policies of the Israeli government and not because of Hamas, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
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