The hostage exchange is the second since the current ceasefire agreement. It is expected that by the end of the first phase of the deal's completion, 33 Israeli hostages will have been freed in exchange for the release of around 1,900 Palestinian detainees.

Israel and Hamas accused each other of breaching the terms of the ceasefire deal on Saturday after four more hostages were released from Gaza.

The family of Liri Albag, one of the four hostages released by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Saturday, have expressed their joy at being reunited with the 19-year-old soldier. "A sense of relief and happiness envelops us after 477 long and unbearable days of nerve-racking waiting.

As thousands of Israelis came to cheer the helicopter bringing back four female hostages from Gaza on Saturday, it was a bitter-sweet moment as the nation also mourned those left behind.

Israelis celebrated on Saturday the release of four Israeli soldiers held hostages in Gaza for the past 15 months, with scenes of jubilation in Tel Aviv where crowds gathered in a public square to watch the release broadcast live on screens.

The hostages were released in a staged handover that saw them surrounded by Hamas gunmen and crowds of civilians.

The Palestinian militant movement Hamas is expected to release four female Israeli soldiers on Saturday in exchange for a group of Palestinian prisoners under a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending the 15-month-old war in Gaza.