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Palestinian militants released two Israeli hostages on Saturday, among the final captives eligible for release under the first phase of a fragile truce that also includes the release of Palestinian prisoners.

The freed hostages, Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu, were handed over to the Red Cross after being presented on a stage in Rafah, southern Gaza.

Shoham was made to speak before an audience while flanked by masked and armed fighters dressed in black.

The Red Cross then transported the two men in a convoy before transferring them to Israeli security forces, who returned them to Israeli territory, according to the Israel Defense Forces, IDF.

The release comes on an emotional day for Israel, as the family of Shiri Bibas confirmed they had received her remains earlier on Saturday.

Bibas and her two young sons, who were also taken hostage, became symbols of the suffering endured by Israeli captives since the war between Israel and Hamas began.

In Tel Aviv’s ‘Hostages Square’, hundreds of people gathered to watch a live broadcast of the hostages’ release. The crowd reacted with applause, and some were seen weeping as the news unfolded.

Four additional Israeli hostages — Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, and Hisham al-Sayed — are expected to be freed later on Saturday in a separate ceremony in central Gaza.

Sayed and Mengistu had been held in Gaza for approximately a decade after crossing into the territory under unclear circumstances.