Hamas handed over to the Red Cross the first two of six Israeli hostages due to be freed Saturday under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.

Hezbollah began firing rockets, drones and missiles into Israel the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of Gaza ignited the war there. The Israel-Hezbollah conflict boiled over into all-out war in September as Israel carried out massive waves of airstrikes and killed most of the militant group’s senior leaders.

Hamas is set to free six more Israeli hostages Saturday from the Gaza Strip, but the exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners is shadowed by heightened tension between the adversaries that clouds the future of the fragile ceasefire deal.

Under the first phase of the ceasefire deal some hostages held in Gaza will be released in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons

Israel prepared Saturday to receive six more hostages, the latest exchange to take place under a fragile ceasefire that was threatened this week by the return of a misidentified body. Four of the hostages set to be released Saturday at 8:30 a.