HAMAS has provided Israel with the names of four hostages it plans to release on Saturday under the Gaza Strip ceasefire deal.

There was no immediate confirmation of the names from the Israeli authorities. The hostages are to be freed in exchange for 180 Palestinians imprisoned, often without charge, by Israel.

Israel believes about a third, possibly as many as half, of the more than 90 hostages remaining in Gaza have died. Hamas has not released definitive information on how many captives are still alive or the names of the dead.