IDF expects hostages to be released from 3 sites — in Gaza City, central Gaza, and Khan Younis

The Israeli military says it does not know when in the coming day Hamas will free the 20 living hostages it is holding, but expects the release to take place sometime in the morning hours tomorrow, possibly 8 a.m.

The IDF says it has been ready since yesterday to receive the hostages, and will remain on alert all night, in case Hamas decides to free the captives overnight.

The IDF says it is also preparing for possible Hamas “provocations” overnight, including the possibility that the terror group will call the families of the hostages to let them speak to their loved ones for the first time in over two years.

The release of the living hostages is expected from at least three locations in Gaza — Gaza City, central Gaza, and Khan Younis. They will be handed over to Red Cross representatives by Hamas, without a release ceremony, and will then be brought to IDF troops waiting inside Gaza.

The hostages will then be escorted outside of Gaza to the military’s Re’im base near the border for an initial physical and mental health checkup. Some family members of the hostages are expected to wait at the Re’im facility for their loved ones.

Hamas is also set to begin returning the remains of dead hostages tomorrow, after the release of the living captives, although the IDF says it does not know how many bodies Hamas will hand over initially.

The terror group has told mediators it does not know where some of the bodies of slain hostages are located, which may delay the release of the bodies.

The military expects bodies of slain hostages to be returned over several days, likely two.

⁠The bodies of slain hostages are set to be received by troops in Gaza, where a small ceremony, led by a military rabbi, will be held in their memory.