Rushdi Abualouf
Gaza correspondent, in Istanbul

The Israeli justice ministry published a list yesterday of 250 Palestinian prisoners it will release in exchange for Israeli hostages.

That list does not include seven high-profile Palestinian prisoners that Hamas had demanded as part of the exchange - including Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Saadat, figures long seen by Palestinians as symbols of resistance.

A senior Palestinian official familiar with the talks told the BBC that US envoy Steve Witkoff had promised to raise their exclusion with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but Israel has firmly refused to include them.

The BBC understands that Hamas is also pushing for some possible additional prisoner releases. These relate to Palestinian prisoners who were released years ago as part of an exchange for the hostage Gilad Shalit - and then were rearrested after 7 October.

Hamas argues that since they were part of a previous hostage exchange, they should not be included in the 250 figure.

Image source, Reuters

As we just mentioned, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) helped facilitate previous releases of Israeli hostages from Hamas.

The ICRC now says it is ready to support the deal by helping "to return hostages and detainees to their families".

In a statement, it says its teams in Gaza, Israel and the West Bank are "also ready to help return human remains so families can mourn their loved ones with dignity".

They will bring aid into Gaza and distribute it, it adds.

"The coming days are critical. I urge the parties to hold to their commitments," president Mirjana Spoljaric writes, saying the agreement "offers a vital chance to save lives and ease suffering".

The ICRC helped facilitate previous hostage exchanges between Israel and Hamas.

• Israel-Gaza war: The Red Cross's delicate role in hostage crises

Israel has carried out strikes in southern Lebanon, the Israel Defenses Forces (IDF) has confirmed.

"Overnight, the IDF struck and dismantled a Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon," the military says. "The site contained engineering machinery used by Hezbollah to reestablish terrorist infrastructure in violation of agreements between Israel and Lebanon."

Lebanese media citing the country's health ministry says the Israeli strike on the al-Msayleh area killed one person and injured seven others.

As a reminder, Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel a day after the Hamas-led 7 October attacks, saying it was acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The longstanding conflict escalated and led to an intense Israeli air campaign across Lebanon, and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon - a ceasefire came into effect in November 2024.

Tom Bennett
Reporting from Jerusalem

Image source, Reuters

The Israeli military announced on Friday it had “begun positioning” its troops along the lines detailed in the ceasefire agreement. It said the ceasefire came into effect at 12:00 (10:00 BST) on Friday.

From that moment, a 72-hour countdown began. During this time, Hamas must release all 20 hostages who are believed to still be alive.

The exact details of their release remains unclear, but in previous hostage handovers they've been collected by the Red Cross which has transferred them to Israel. From there, they have been airlifted to Israeli hospitals for check-ups and to be reunited with their families.

The bodies of deceased hostages will also be returned, though it is unclear how long this could take.

A copy of the agreement shared by Israeli media states that the handovers will take place “without any public ceremonies or media coverage”. Previous hostage handovers have involved highly-choreographed Hamas ceremonies - something the Israeli government wants to avoid.

During this process, we expect to see the release of about 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails and 1,700 detainees from Gaza.

We also expect to see about 600 humanitarian aid trucks entering Gaza daily from now on.

After this process has been completed, it is thought negotiations will begin over the latter phases of Donald Trump's 20-point plan.

Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent

Image source, EPA

Up to 200 US troops already based in the Middle East will be moved to Israel to help monitor the ceasefire in Gaza, according to US officials.

The US military will establish a multinational taskforce in Israel, known as a civil-military coordination centre, which is likely to include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the UAE, they said.

One senior official said no US forces will enter Gaza, adding that the American role was to create a Joint Control Center which will "integrate" the multinational force going in.

The taskforce will be led by US Central Command (Centcom) based in the region, and is intended to oversee the progress of the ceasefire agreement and also help coordinate humanitarian assistance.

How many buildings in Gaza have been damaged?published at 06:00 BST

06:00 BST

By Kayleen Devlin

Thousands of displaced people have begun walking north along al-Rashid street towards Gaza City following the beginning of the ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli troops.

What they will be returning to is the widespread destruction brought about by two years of war.

According to a satellite imagery analysis released earlier this month from researchers at Oregon State University, 198,883 buildings in the Gaza Strip are thought to have been damaged since the start of the war.

Destruction of buildings can be seen across the territory, with Gaza City one of the worst-hit areas. Researchers estimate that 74% of buildings in the Strip’s largest urban area have likely been damaged since 7 October 2023.

Despite Trump's exclamation, questions remainpublished at 05:50 BST

05:50 BST

Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent

When President Trump announced this ceasefire deal, he hailed it, as he often does, in epic terms. This is more than Gaza, he exclaimed; this is peace in the Middle East.

The reality is far less grand.

Ending, for now, this grievous Gaza war, finally bringing Israeli hostages home in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, is a major achievement which brought enormous relief and joy.

The surprising speed in which this deal was done, the way some details are, even now, still being sorted, underlines how President Trump was in a hurry to get it over the line, and be seen to do it.

But there’s still little detail and no decisions on much more difficult issues: Will Hamas ever give up its guns? Will Israel ever end its military occupation? And what is the political horizon, that vague phrase in President Trump’s 20-point plan which much of the world translates as a Palestinian state - but Israel firmly rejects.

There's little talk here of peace. At best, it is a calm before yet more storms - unless President Trump, and many others, continue to exert the huge pressure that made this first phase possible.

Image source, EPA

On Friday, we heard from US President Donald Trump about the next stages of his plan to end the two-year war.

• Trump said he believes the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will "hold" because "they're all tired of the fighting"
• The president also says that Hamas is currently gathering the hostages "now", adding "they're in some pretty rough places"
• He said that "for the most part, there is consensus" on how the next stages of his plan will work - but he acknowledged that "some of the details... will be worked out"
• Major sticking points include uncertainty over the disarmament of Hamas and the future governance of Gaza
• Trump confirmed that he will meet a "lot of leaders" in Cairo on Monday to discuss the future of Gaza - although the list of attendees is not yet clear
• Before that, Trump is expected to travel to Israel and address the country's parliament - the Knesset

Image source, Reuters

The people of Gaza have spent their first night since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect.

If you're just joining our coverage, here's where things stand on Saturday morning in Gaza:

• Israel's military says it has completed the first phase of its withdrawal from Gaza, after a ceasefire with Hamas came into effect on Friday morning - though Israeli troops still occupy roughly half of the territory
• Thousands of Palestinians have been returning to their homes in northern Gaza, an area heavily bombarded over recent months
• Hamas has until 12:00 local time (09:00 GMT) on Monday to release all Israeli hostages - including 20 who are believed to be alive and up to 28 hostages' remains
• Israel is due to release about 250 Palestinians prisoners serving life sentences. A further 1,700 Palestinians from Gaza who have been detained should also be released
• Some 600 aid lorries were expected to enter Gaza from Friday, although it is not yet clear whether increased aid has reached people
• Up to 200 US troops already based in the Middle East will be moved to Israel to help monitor the ceasefire in Gaza, US officials said