Released

Three female Israeli civilians to be released on Sunday, US officials tell CNN

From CNN's Zachary Cohen and Alex Marquardt

If the ceasefire deal goes into effect as planned, three female hostages are expected to be released on Sunday, two US officials told CNN. They would be the first of 33 hostages in Gaza, both living and deceased, to be released as part of the first phase of the agreement. Hamas announced the same on Wednesday.

The hostages to be released in the first phase are the so-called “humanitarian” cases: women – including soldiers – older men, and the wounded. Male soldiers or men of fighting age are only expected to be released in a second phase.

This aligns with a document shared by senior Hamas official Bassem Naim Wednesday, which said three female hostages would be released first.

The ceasefire and hostage deal is expected to come into effect on January 19 and include three phases, each of which will last 42 days, according to the document.