Summary

  • Three more Israeli hostages are expected to be released by Hamas today, in return for the freeing of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel

  • Hamas is expected to hand over the hostages to the Red Cross soon. We've seen Red Cross vehicles arrive

  • Israelis have gathered in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv as they wait for the transfer process

  • The expected release of Eli Sharabi, Ohad ben Ami and Or Levy comes as part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that began on 19 January

  • In the first phase of the deal, 33 Israeli hostages are due to be freed

  • You can tap Watch live above to follow the process

Live Reporting

Edited by Tinshui Yeung and Jamie Whitehead in London, with Alice Cuddy, Wyre Davies and Yolande Knell reporting from Tel Aviv, and Joe Inwood in Jerusalem

  1. Excitement in Kibbutz Be'eri as families are 'glued to the screen'

    Alice Cuddy
    Reporting from Tel Aviv

    Residents of Kibbutz Be'eri have been telling me of their excitement as they wait for the release today of Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami.

    "We are glued to the screen, flipping back and forth waiting for Eli and Ohad to be freed," Simon King says over WhatsApp.

    "Eli will be coming back to the very hard reality that his whole family was murdered, while Ohad on the other hand will be coming back to his family's open arms. It's such a big contrast," he says.

    Another resident, Shir Guttentag, says she is "very excited." "We hope it will go well," she adds.

    In Kibbutz Be'eri, 101 people were killed on 7 October 2023 and another 30 residents and their family members were taken hostage.

  2. Red Cross reaches staging area

    The Red Cross vehicles have reached the staging area.

    The crowd has stepped aside to let them through.

    So far, no one has got out of the vehicles.

    Three white Red Cross vehicles arrive at hostage release staging area. There is a huge crowd surrounding the cars and a purple stage in the background

  3. Red Cross vehicles arrive
    Breaking

    Three white vehicles with Red Cross flags make their way through a big crowd of people

    The Red Cross has now arrived in Deir al-Balah. We're watching for signs of the three hostages.

    A throng of civilians has surrounded the Red Cross vehicles. They're moving slowly towards the staging area.

  4. The Israeli hostages released so far

    The family of five embraceReuters

    Ofer Kalderon is reunited with his family at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel

    Since phase one of the ceasefire deal came into effect on 19 January, we have seen weekly releases of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

    They take place on the weekend, and last weekend saw the release of three Israeli men.

    Yarden Bibas, 34, was taken from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. His wife and two young sons were also captured, and are yet to be released.

    American-Israeli Keith Siegel moved from North Carolina to Israel forty years ago. His wife Aviva, who was taken alongside him on 7 October 2023, was released in November of the same year.

    Father of four, Ofer Kalderon, was also released. “Ofer endured months in a nightmare,” his family said upon his return.

    A total of 33 hostages should be released in return for around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. So far, 13 hostages have been released.

  5. Staging area ready for hostage release

    Groups of people gather waiting for Israeli hostage release. There is a stage and several cars.Reuters

    We are expecting the Red Cross to arrive soon in Deir al-Balah in Gaza, but so far, we haven't seen them enter the area.

    On our live feed, we can see that a staging area and rows of pick-up trucks are lined up. A crowd of civilians is watching.

    We'll bring you more information as we receive it about the hostage transfer.

  6. Sharabi's return is 'one crumb of comfort', says family of hostage

    Lucy Manning
    Special correspondent

    The British family of Eli Sharabi, who will be released by Hamas today, told the BBC they are “delighted”, but also concerned Sharabi will only then discover his British wife and two teenage daughters were killed on 7 October.

    “We still don't know whether he knows about Lianne, Noiya and Yahel," said Stephen Brisley, from Bridgend, Wales, who is Lianne's brother. "I just hope that he already knows, because it's just going to be another layer of torture for him to have survived for the 490 days, and then to come out to that piece of news.”

    Brisley said the homecoming of his brother-in-law would bring them some hope after so much grief.

    “His safe return has always been that one crumb of comfort, that one chink of light. Eli coming home alive would be perhaps the greatest memorial to Lianne and the girls and we're so close to achieving that now."

    “For us as a family, it brings an end to that part of the limbo of not knowing whether we were going to be having a fourth funeral, to bury him. And I think it will enable us to unlock our grief and grieve properly again for Lianne and the girls.”

  7. 'We didn’t sleep, we are waiting, we are tense'

    Wyre Davies
    Reporting from Tel Aviv

    Earlier, we brought you details about preparations under way by the family of Eli Sharabi, who are expecting to welcome him home later today.

    One relative, Jacob Srdnayof, tells the BBC the reality of Eli's return hasn't set in yet.

    "Until I see with my own eyes Eli walk free I won’t believe it," he says.

    "We didn’t sleep, we are waiting, we are tense. We had Friday night dinner last night and we couldn’t sleep! My heart is hurting, Eli is coming to the unknown; he has no home, no wife, no children, no older brother. We don’t know what Eli knows about this."

    Everyone is glued to the TV screen waiting for news of the hostage release.

    Jacob Srdnayof sits in a white leather armchair with two relatives. He is bald and in his mid-to-late 50s. He is wearing a white t-shirt with a red photo on it that is partially obscured by his arm. His relatives are speaking to him, there is a man and a woman, both with dark hair. Both relatives are listening as Jacob speaks.

    Jacob Srdnayof says he couldn't sleep while waiting for Eli to come back

  8. 'Excited to the point of tears'

    Alice Cuddy
    Reporting from Tel Aviv

    A large crowd of people dressed in bright green and wrapped in Israeli flags stand in Hostages square. they're carrying yellow flags and israeli flags, and holding placards of their loved ones. There are about 100 people in the image.EPA

    Returning to Israel, people are beginning to gather now around the big screen at Hostages Square.

    I've just been speaking to Keren Redlich, who says she is "excited to the point of tears" about today's return.

    While she does not know any of the three men being released today personally, she says she feels a connection to them and their families and wanted to experience their release with others at the square today.

    She carries a yellow flag and wears a yellow ribbon in support of the hostages.

    "I want to share this feeling with everyone," she says.

    Keren Redlich is wearing a black puffer jacket and carrying a yellow flag. She has a yellow ribbon pinned to her jacket. She has dark hair and glasses. She is standing in hostages square.

  9. More than 500 Palestinian prisoners have been released

    A Palestinian former detainee is greeted by family and friends as he arrives after being released from prisonEPA

    In the first phase of the deal, 33 hostages should be released in return for 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.

    So far, more than 500 have been released. They are often met by bustling, shouting crowds who embrace the bus loads of prisoners, still in their grey prison uniforms.

    Of these, several are women and children - one of the youngest released at the end of January is a 15-year-old.

    Some of them were accused of relatively minor offences, others had not been convicted or formally charged.

    But 21 prisoners convicted of the most serious offences, including murder, were not allowed by Israel to return home to the Palestinian Territories and were exiled to Egypt or neighbouring countries.

    On the last weekend of January, 47-year-old Hussain Nassar, who was arrested in 2003 for taking part in the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, was released. His daughter who greeted him got to hug him for the very first time - she was born while he was in prison.

  10. Israel Prison Service releases details on transferring Palestinian prisoners

    While we wait for the hostage release, we can bring you a bit more information about the 183 Palestinian prisoners expected to be released by Israel today.

    The Israel Prison Service says it has received a list of prisoners that are expected to be released today but has not publicised the names on that list.

    The prisoners will be taken to reception centres in the Ofer and Ktziot prisons, where they will be held until the Israeli hostages are released, the prison service says.

    Some prisoners will then be driven to a release point in the occupied West Bank, with others taken to the Kerem Shalom border crossing into Gaza.

    As part of the ceasefire deal, Israel has agreed to release 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, including some who are detained without charge.

    The Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank is shown. It is built of grey concrete, with a tall fence and barbed wire wrapped around it. Two police vehicles are parked out front, one is black and one is white. Both are SUV-style vehicles. Two officials, both dressed in dark clothes, mill in the background. The prison walls cover most of the photograph.EPA

    Ofer prison

  11. Tel Aviv getting ready for release of three Israeli men

    Alice Cuddy
    reporting from Tel Aviv

    Several protest signs are leaning against a wall with Israeli flags on it. They feature photos of Ohad Ben Ami, who is wearing a whie polo shirt and glasses. He is resting is head on his hand. Yellow ribbons that are used by the hostage support organisations are tied to the placards.

    Preparations are under way in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square as three men are set to be freed today and returned home to Israel.

    It marks the fifth round of releases since a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas came into force last month. In exchange for the hostages' return, Israel has been releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

    Each week, live news footage of the hostage returns is broadcast on a large screen in the square. Among the crowds expected to gather here today are relatives of some of those still held in Gaza.

    We don't know exactly what time the releases will happen, but reports in Israeli media say officials here expect that it could begin at around 10:00 local time (08:00 GMT).

    In Gaza, armed and masked Hamas fighters have begun gathering by a stage in the central city of Deir al-Balah in preparation.

    A poster in hostages square shows Ohad Ben Ami. The poster reads "bring him home now!" and shows a portrait of Ben Ami. He is wearing a white polo shirt and square-framed glasses and is resting his head on his hand. He's smiling. The poster has orange and white writing, and a QR code.

  12. Family gets champagne ready for hostage release

    Wyre Davies
    Reporting from Tel Aviv

    A family member draped in an Israeli flag smiles beside a table filled with champagne and cakes

    As we've been reporting, Eli Sharabi is one of the hostages expected to be released today.

    At the house of Sharabi’s extended family in the eastern part of Tel Aviv, there’s a celebratory mood – his cousin Jackie is bringing out cakes and bottles of champagne to crack open as soon as his release is confirmed.

    Like hundreds of other families around Israel, they’re huddled around the television, watching live pictures being transmitted from Gaza, hoping that their loved one will soon be handed over to the Red Cross representatives.

    Many family members are wearing T-shirts with Eli’s picture and that of his brother Yossi. He was killed in Gaza after being abducted with Eli from Kibbutz Be’eri.

    Eli’s British-born wife, Lianne, and their two daughters, Noiya and Yahel, were murdered in the 7 October attack.

    Amid the understandable relief and happiness at Eli’s expected release, this is a bittersweet moment for the entire family.

  13. Stages, crowds and buses: The chaos of prisoner and hostage releases

    Long queues of people stand near lines of Red Cross vehicles along a coastlineReuters

    We’ve been reporting on the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners for a few weeks now, and there’s often a lot going on.

    The hostage release has varied in its ceremony each time. Last week was calm and orderly, with crowds kept behind barriers.

    They were sent on stage, signed some documents, and were handed to the Red Cross to escort them back to Israel.

    But before that, some were paraded through the streets in Gaza, surrounded by large crowds. When Palestinian prisoners are taken from prison on coaches, they are usually mobbed by large crowds when they reach their destinations.

    Last week, it took minutes just to get enough space at the bus door for people to begin departing. When they did, the released prisoners were held up on the shoulders of the crowd, and paraded around.

    A crowd of men films people entering a bus on their phonesGetty Images

  14. In pictures: Hamas fighters gather before hostage release

    We're starting to see some pictures now from Deir al-Balah in Gaza, where Hamas fighters are gathering ahead of the hostage release.

    Hamas fighters stand in a row. They are dressed in army fatigues and wearing knee pads and hats that come down low over their eyes. They are wearing bullet proof vests and carrying guns. Green flags are wrapped like bandanas around their hats. There are about 15 to 20 fighters in the image.Reuters
    Hamas fighters stand in rows in formation in Deir al-Balah. There are five fighters in each row, about three rows deep. They're dressed in military fatigues with masks over their faces. They are wearing bucket hats branded with Hamas' flag. They're standing in what appears to be a town square.Reuters

  15. Preparations under way for hostage release

    Live footage shows Hamas setting up a stage in preparation for the release of three male civilian hostages - Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami - in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

    Israeli media, citing military sources, says the handover is expected to happen starting around 10:00 local time (08:00 GMT).

    Cameras, banners and green Hamas flags have already been set up by white trucks, with a couple of rows of spectators cordoned off by a line of fighters.

  16. How the hostages are brought home from Gaza

    Alice Cuddy
    Reporting from Jerusalem

    It begins with a phone call, with a location.

    Once the details are received, a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross sets off in vehicles marked with the humanitarian organisation's logo to pick up the hostages in Gaza.

    The group, which acts as a neutral intermediary in the handover, then brings them to Israeli troops on the outskirts of Gaza.

    Across the border in Israel, reception centres have been set up, where the released hostages meet with medical personnel and their families.

    They are assigned a physician, a nurse and a social worker.

    After receiving initial treatment at the reception point, the surviving hostages are transferred in a "specially adapted" helicopter to a hospital elsewhere in the country.

    "We tell them… we will take a helicopter back home. And then, if you're willing to, we're going to start talking about what you have been through," says Col Dr Avi Banov, deputy chief of the Israel Defense Forces medical corps.

  17. What we know about the next hostages to be released

    A composite image of the three hostages due for releaseBring Them Home Now

    Or Levy, Ohad ben Ami and Eli Sharabi have been named by Hamas's armed wing as the three Israeli hostages due to be released

    On Friday, Hamas released the names of the next hostages to be freed in Gaza today in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

    They are male civilians Eli Sharabi, 52, Ohad Ben Ami, 56, and Or Levy, 34. Here's what we know about them:

    Eli Sharabi was taken from Kibbutz Beeri with his brother, Yossi, who has since been confirmed dead. Eli's wife and two daughters were murdered in the attack.

    Ohad Ben Ami was also taken from Kibbutz Beeri, along with his wife, Raz. She was later released by Hamas.

    Or Levy fled the Nova festival with his wife Eynav, when gunmen attacked the event. Levy was taken hostage and Eynav's body was found in a bomb shelter where the couple had been hiding.

  18. Three Israeli hostages and 183 Palestinian prisoners due for release

    Three more Israeli hostages and dozens of Palestinian prisoners are expected to be freed today, as part of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, which came into effect on 19 January.

    Eli Sharabi, Ohad ben Ami and Or Levy were named as the hostages due for release on Friday. In return, Israel is expected to free 183 Palestinian prisoners from its detention.

    Hostages have previously been paraded in front of crowds in Gaza - ranging from highly choreographed appearances to chaotic escorts through surging crowds.

    Our writers in London and correspondents across the region will bring you the latest updates and analysis. Stay with us.