Hamas has announced it would release four female soldiers held hostage for 15 months in Gaza, as part of an exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners laid out in its ceasefire agreement with Israel.

TEL AVIV — Israelis celebrated the return Sunday evening of the first wave of hostages from the Gaza Strip, hours after Israel and Hamas ' long-awaited ceasefire went into effect and spurred many displaced Palestinians to begin the journey home by foot after 15 months of brutal conflict.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel and Hamas were expected to swap more hostages for Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, the second such exchange since a ceasefire began in the Gaza Strip last weekend and another test for the deal.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, on Tuesday, sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announcing that he would resign on March 6 after two years and two months in office, about 10 months earlier than the standard three-year term.

Three hostages have been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to NBC News’ crew in Gaza, and will be making their way to Israel.

Israeli government approves ceasefire agreement. Ceasefire to begin in Gaza Sunday morning, hostages to be released in the afternoon.

Palestinian health workers say an Israeli strike on a built-up refugee camp in the occupied West Bank has killed two people as a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip entered a third day.

Israeli media, carrying live footage from Qatar-based Al Jazeera, showed the three women walking to Red Cross vehicles as their convoy moved through Gaza City.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says President Donald Trump has invited him to visit the White House on Feb. 4

Crowds of displaced Palestinians made the arduous journey back to heavily destroyed northern Gaza for a second day Tuesday, under a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Israel’s military says it won’t complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon by Sunday as outlined in its ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah militants. The confirmation came Saturday while another fr

Israeli police say four people were wounded in a stabbing attack in central Tel Aviv and the suspect was killed