ANKARA

The International Committee of the Red Cross received a call from Hamas on Saturday to head to the designated transfer point in Gaza where four Israeli female hostages are scheduled to be released, Israeli Channel 12 reported.

An Anadolu correspondent reported that in the early hours of the morning, a convoy from the International Committee of the Red Cross departed for the Kerem Shalom crossing in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The convoy consisted of several Red Cross vehicles, including a bus with a capacity of 20-25 people.

No official statement has yet been issued by the Red Cross.

Witnesses told Anadolu that dozens of members from the Al-Qassam Brigades and Al-Quds Brigades were deployed at Palestine Square in Gaza City, alongside thousands of Palestinians, in preparation for the handover of Israeli hostages.

Separately, the families of the hostages were informed that the release is expected around 10:00 a.m. GMT, according to Israeli Channel 13.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that took effect on Sunday paused Israel's devastating onslaught on Gaza, which since Oct. 7, 2023, claimed the lives of more than 47,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom were women and children.

The three-phase agreement includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, and its residents displaced, hungry and prone to disease.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

• Writing by Ikram Kouachi