Three Israeli hostages have been released and are now back in Israeli territory, while a bus carrying Palestinian prisoners has arrived in Ramallah in the West Bank.

The day began in Deir al-Balah in Gaza, where Hamas handed the hostages over to Red Cross officials.

Image source, Reuters

Crowds gathered to watch the process in Hostages Square, in Tel Aviv.

Image source, EPA

After the three hostages reached Israel, a bus carrying Palestinian prisoners arrived in Ramallah in the West Bank.

The picture below shows a freed Palestinian prisoner waving to crowds.

Image source, Reuters

Trump 'Riviera' scheme casts shadow over releasepublished at 11:13 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February

11:13 GMT 8 February

Joe Inwood
BBC News correspondent

There were audible gasps in the room as President Trump set out his ambitions to turn Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East”, achieved by the forcible displacement of the Palestinian population. As well as being illegal under international law, it shattered decades of established US policy norms.

But, as well as shock, there was also a genuine fear that it could derail the fragile ceasefire process - and hostage-prisoner swap deal it had produced. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported warnings from officials “familiar with the negotiations” that it “may disrupt the hostages’ release”.

That concern was shared by Egypt, a key mediator in the painstaking ceasefire talks, which put out a statement shortly after condemning what it called “a flagrant violation of international law”. The country’s foreign ministry cautioned against the “irresponsible behaviour, which undermines the negotiations regarding the ceasefire agreement”. It could, they warned, “provoke the return of hostilities, and poses risks on the entire region and the foundations of peace".

The fear is that the removal of what’s often referred to as a “political horizon” for the Palestinians removes the incentive to negotiate. Why would they come to the table if they are to be forced to leave their homes? One place where the plans were warmly welcomed was on the right of Israeli politics.

For finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, hearing the US President echo his long-held ambitions for the removal of the population of Gaza was more than he could have hoped for. “Now we will act to finally bury, with God's help, the dangerous idea of a Palestinian state," he wrote.

With today’s scheduled exchanges now under way, it seems fears of the ceasefire collapsing have not yet materialised. But everyone knows that negotiations to move from temporary truce to a “sustainable calm” will not be straightforward. President Trump’s intervention may have made them harder still.

We are seeing pictures now of a bus carrying Palestinian prisoners arriving in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

People are surrounding the vehicle and taking pictures and recording as the prisoners begin to exit. Some are flashing the "V" victory sign with their hands.

The prisoners are shaking hands with people helping them off the bus and smiling at the crowd.

Image source, Reuters

If you're just joining us, here's what's happened so far today:

• Hamas has freed three Israeli hostages, who are now confirmed to be in Israeli territory
• Or Levy, Ohad Ben Ami and Eliyahu Sharabi will be reunited with their families at an initial reception point in southern Israel
• The transfer involved the hostages being led on to a stage, holding what looked like certificates, and were made to speak - though we couldn't hear their voices
• The three men looked thin and gaunt, as their family members and our correspondent noticed
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they would "not gloss over the shocking scenes" from Gaza today

At the time of writing, a bus carrying Palestinian prisoners has left Ofer prison – 183 are due to be released today.

Stay with us for the latest updates.

Lucy Manning
Special correspondent

Pete Brisley, the father-in-law of Eli Sharabi, was watching nervously in Wales with his wife Gill as Eli was released.

Their daughter Lianne and grandchildren Noiya and Yahel were murdered on 7 October in their home.

Brisley said: “It’s just very, very emotional here.”

“It’s great to see him released, but I wasn’t expecting to see him looking like that, so very, very thin and emaciated. He looks like he’s just come out of a concentration camp," Brisley told me.

"We still don’t know whether he knows that he’s lost his family, his wife and daughters, because nobody knows whether he saw them murdered or whether he was taken outside before.

"We’ll find out sometime in the next couple of hours, because his mum and his sister are waiting at the hospital to greet him. I would think his first question will be, where are they? If he did see them murdered, then he’s had to live with that for the last 15 months, 16 months.”

We're seeing now that a bus carrying Palestinian prisoners has now left Ofer prison.

As a reminder, 183 prisoners are due to be released today in exchange for the three Israeli hostages. So far, 383 prisoners have been released, with 1,900 expected in total.

The prisoners released today will be brought to the West Bank and Gaza.

Image source, Reuters

Along with the three Israeli hostages freed today, 183 Palestinian prisoners are also expected to be released from Israeli jail.

Earlier, we've seen images showing Israeli forces gathering outside the Israeli military prison, Ofer.

Israel is expected to release the Palestinian prisoners today as part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, which came into force last month.

We're continuing to hear reactions from the relatives of the released hostages.

Speaking to local media in Israel, Tal Levy, the brother of Or Levy, says that his brother "looks very, very thin, and it’s indeed very difficult to see him".

He adds: "He’s coming back and he’ll recover."

Or's son Almog is with his grandparents and is eagerly awaiting his father's return. "I told him in tears that his father is coming back. He asked why I was crying, and I said: it’s tears of excitement this time," Tal says.

Or's wife Einav was killed on 7 October 2023. Almog, 3, has been living with his grandparents since the attack.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Tel Aviv

I've been speaking to people around Hostage Square about their reactions following today's releases.

"I'm struck by how solemn it feels and the mixed emotions," Matt says, visiting from the US.

"I come here every week. It's hard on everyone in Israel," says Nadia.

Of the men's condition she says: "I'm surprised to see them alive to begin with... I want everyone to return to Israel - I want it to continue to the second phase."

Shlomit Kovner also says it's "good that they are alive after spending so many days in Gaza".

She describes their condition as "very bad" but says it is "good that they are still on their feet".

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Tel Aviv

These three Israeli men appeared thin as they were paraded by Hamas gunmen on to a stage in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

They were forced to give statements before waving and being taken away by the Red Cross. Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami were both seized from kibbutz Be'eri, and Or Levy was captured at the Nova music festival.

In a statement, the Hostage Families Forum described the appearance of the men as "disturbing" and said it proved there was no time to waste to bring home the remaining hostages.

Israeli negotiators are expected to head to Qatar for talks on the next stage of the Gaza ceasefire.

We've just heard from the brother-in-law of Eli Sharabi, one of the hostages being released today.

Eli Sharabi was taken from Kibbutz Be'eri on 7 October 2023 along with his brother, Yossi, who has since been confirmed dead. His wife and two daughters were killed in the attack.

Steve Brisley, his brother-in-law, says he is feeling “the whole pendulum of emotions - joy and relief through to heartache and everything in between."

Speaking about Sharabi’s physical condition, Brisley says his cheeks are "very sunken and drawn."

"It's the eyes that told the tale for me. Eli has a very smiley face, and it’s the light that’s gone from his eyes that struck home for me, and the look of confusion on his face was an upsetting watch," he says.

We've just received a new statement from the IDF. They say the hostages are now in Israel.

"The returning hostages - Or Levy, Ohad Ben Ami, and Eliyahu Sharabi - crossed the border into Israeli territory. The returning hostages are currently on their way to an initial reception point in southern Israel, where they will be reunited with members of their families."

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says that the country "embraces the three returnees", adding that their families have now been informed that the hostages have been returned to the IDF.

"We will not go into the agenda about the shocking sights we saw today", the statement continues. "The government, together with all security agencies, will accompany them and their families."

The three hostages have now been transferred to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Israeli army says.

They are being taken back to Israel for a medical assessment.

"The commanders and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces salute and embrace the returning hostages as they make their way home to the State of Israel.

"The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit asks everyone to respect the privacy of the returning hostages and their families," the IDF says in a statement.

Image source, Reuters

On X, Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposition in Israel, says today's transfer of hostages makes for "difficult scenes".

"The difficult scenes this morning in the transfer of the kidnapped are heartbreaking and emphasise the urgent need to continue returning the kidnapped," he writes.

"There is no time. Time is running out. We must bring everyone back. Home. Ohad, Eli and Or. How good that you are on your way home."

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have said in a post on X that their helicopters are ready to meet the returning hostages at the reception point upon their return to Israel.

The Red Cross is expected to take the three released hostages 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.

We've just received this statement from the Israeli military confirming the hostages' release.

"According to information communicated by the Red Cross, three hostages were transferred to them," it says, adding that they are on their way to meet the Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Tel Aviv

Cheers broke out here in Hostages Square as the three men appeared on screen.

“They look very bad but they are walking so I think they will be OK,” the woman next to me says.

In a message over WhatsApp, a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri, where two of the men are from, says that seeing them in this condition is “emotional torture”.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters says the "disturbing images from the release of Ohad, Eli, and Or serve as yet another stark and painful evidence that leaves no room for doubt - there is no time to waste for the hostages".

"We must get them all out, down to the very last hostage," the group says in a press release.

Wyre Davies
Reporting from Tel Aviv

Family members of Eli Sharabi, watching his release from captivity live on television, cheered as he and the two other hostages stepped from the white van they were being carried in.

But quickly they remarked how thin, gaunt and fragile all three men appeared to be – one person said they appeared to be squinting, unaccustomed to the daylight.

Prior to their handover to Red Cross representatives, unconfirmed reports repeated on Israeli television said the three captives were taken by Hamas on a tour of the immediate area in Gaza to show the destruction and impact of Israeli bombing.