News - Middle East: The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has handed over two Israeli captives to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) officials, starting the fourth round of a swap agreement to release Palestinians abducted by the occupying regime.

On Saturday, Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon were released in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis in a swift and organized ceremony with a few onlookers.

Red Cross officials signed papers presented by Hamas after taking the two Israeli captives under their care in northern Gaza.

The Israeli military and the regime’s so-called internal security service, Shin Bet, have confirmed that Kalderon and Bibas are now out of the Gaza Strip, and are on the way to an initial reception point in the southern side of the Israeli-occupied lands.

The third Israeli captive Keith Siegel is also expected to be released shortly in Gaza City in the northern part of the coastal territory.

In return, Israeli officials are going to free 183 Palestinian abductees in the fourth abductees-for-captives swap of the Gaza ceasefire on Saturday.

As part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Palestinians have been slowly returning to their homes in northern Gaza over the past week.

Under the terms of the Gaza ceasefire, 33 captives held by Hamas in Gaza are to be freed in the first six weeks of the truce in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian abductees, many of whom have been serving life sentences in Israeli jails.

So far, 15 captives held in Gaza, including five Thai workers, and 400 Palestinian abductees have been exchanged.

On Thursday, Hamas released three Israeli captives and five Thai nationals. Israel released 110 Palestinian abductees after delaying the process.

Source: Press TV