Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages on Wednesday night to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a source with Hamas told Xinhua.

Al-Qassam Brigades handed over the bodies to the ICRC team, and the team will deliver them to the Israeli army through Kerem Shalom crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, the source said.

In return, Israel is expected to release more than 600 Palestinian detainees, including women and children, as part of the first phase of the agreement.

Hundreds of Palestinian families of the prisoners have already gathered in Gaza Strip and the West Bank to welcome their freed relatives, witnesses said.

The exchange follows an agreement between Hamas and Israel, brokered by Egypt, to resolve the dispute over the delayed release of Palestinian prisoners.

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