Rushdi Abualouf
Gaza correspondent, in Istanbul

A Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told the BBC that a new round of talks began at 10:30 local time (08:30 BST), aimed at resolving outstanding issues related to the prisoner list.

The official said Hamas is still pushing for the release of seven high-profile prisoners, including Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Saadat.

According to sources, the formula of the exchange agreement stipulates the release of Palestinian prisoners with the highest sentences - and the seven high-profile names meet this criteria.

But from the very start of negotiations Israel has refused to release them.

Hamas is still said to be pushing hard - and the group informed mediators that if Israel agreed to release even two of them, it would release the hostages today, earlier than the currently scheduled release on Monday.

It is unclear what will happen if Hamas’s demands are not met.

Today’s talks also focus on agreeing to timings and logistics for the release of all 20 living Israeli hostages, as well as the return of the bodies of the deceased hostages that Hamas is able to locate.

Image source, Getty Images

Displaced Palestinians have been returning north to Gaza City, the largest city in the territory.

Thousands of people have travelled up Gaza's coastal highway to return to their homes - but Israel's military offensive has destroyed much of the city. As we previously reported, as many as three-quarters of buildings have been damaged.

We've been receiving pictures of the rubble Palestinians have been returning to.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Israel's deputy minister for foreign affairs insists that aid has been flowing into Gaza since before the ceasefire came into effect on Friday and claims aid organisations have been used as a "political tool".

Asked about the aid situation in Gaza on BBC World Service radio, Sharren Haskel says "it's important to understand that the aid was flowing in before the ceasefire".

Haskel is challenged on the accuracy of her statement, as many aid organisations have said they do not yet have permission from Israel to travel into Gaza with aid, and that multiple crossings into the territory are yet to be opened.

Haskel pushes back, saying that "unfortunately many of these organisations have been used as a political tool by Hamas and others against Israel".

"I've seen it through my own eyes," she says, saying that she has previously seen hundreds of trucks waiting for the UN and other organisations to come to pick up their goods at the Kerem Shalom crossing into southern Gaza.

• For context: A surge of aid into Gaza is expected following the implementation of the ceasefire agreement's first phase on Friday. So far, aid agencies have said a large increase in aid has not happened, though some trucks have been pictured in parts of the territory today

We've been reporting this morning about seeing dozens of aid trucks enter Gaza, and many more queuing at its border with Egypt - but Unicef's James Elder says this falls short of what is needed.

Speaking to the BBC, he says "it's very simple what Israel needs to do", which is "open multiple crossings not just one".

"There are five or six that Israel could open, and that means that then those trucks, you know 1,000 trucks, are not going down one route. They get multiple entry points."

He says UN aid agencies - of which Unicef is one - have been ready to go in "for a long time".

He says what Unicef wants to do is distribute high-energy food for children and pregnant women, as well as winter clothes and shoes.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

After two years of war, a ceasefire is in effect between Israel and Hamas. A 72-hour window for Hamas to release all of the remaining hostages began on Friday, as Israeli forces began pulling back from parts of Gaza.

The next 24 hours will be a crucial test for the ceasefire deal. Here's what we're expecting to see happen:

• Hamas is expected to release all the Israeli hostages by 12:00 local time (10:00 BST) on Monday, in what is believed to be a private transfer with no media present. The living hostages will be taken for medical attention in Israel
• Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and around 1,700 detainees in Gaza. Preparations for their release began yesterday
• We'll also see Donald Trump arrive in Israel tomorrow, where the US president plans to address Israel's parliament
• He will then travel to Egypt with dozens of other world leaders - including France's Emmanuel Macron and the UK's Keir Starmer - to convene a summit on peace in the Middle East
• The Egyptian presidency says Trump will formally sign the ceasefire deal that his administration helped broker - they'll also discuss the next phases of the plan

Security in Gaza is a major post-war concern - but what does that look like?published at 09:46 BST 12 October

09:46 BST 12 October

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

The big question is how is security going to prevail in Gaza once this first phase is complete? It's a part of the world that has been absolutely shattered over the last two years.

We're already seeing growing signs of the risks of civil conflict turning up.

Hamas has reportedly mobilised thousands of its fighters to kind of establish law and order, to stop rival clans trying to take over areas.

To try to stop anarchy, basically.

What is supposed to happen is there's going to be a civil military co-ordination centre set up inside Israel. I believe it's in Ashdod and the US is going to have a couple of hundred troops involved in logistics.

That will oversee an international force that is presumed to be made up of Qatari, Egyptian, Turkish and possibly UAE troops, who are not going to be there to do any fighting.

They're more there as a monitoring ceasefire force. It's called the International Stabilisation Force.

Image source, EPA

We've recently seen an update from Israel's defence minister.

In a post on X, Israel Katz says his country's "big challenge" after the release of the Israeli hostages will be "the destruction of all Hamas terror tunnels in Gaza".

He says this will be done directly by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and "through the international mechanism that will be established under the leadership and supervision of the US".

Katz adds that he has instructed the IDF to prepare to carry out the mission.

We're now seeing more pictures of lorries carrying aid entering Gaza. Under the ceasefire agreement, "full aid" is supposed to enter the territory immediately.

In its most recent update on Thursday, Cogat - the Israeli military body overseeing the entry of aid into Gaza - said 500 trucks had entered the territory of which around 300 were distributed by the UN and other organisations.

The video below shows about a dozen trucks making their way through Khan Younis in Gaza's south.

• For context: The UN estimates that at least 600 aid trucks are needed every day to start addressing Gaza's humanitarian crisis.

Image source, EPA

While we've seen pictures this morning of aid trucks queuing at the Rafah crossing, a Unicef worker has been speaking to BBC's 5 Live Breakfast about what the situation is like in northern Gaza today.

Tess Ingram says she's just arrived in Gaza City - where thousands of Palestinians have been returning to since the ceasefire came into effect on Friday. Ingram says she's there to assess people's needs and establish aid access routes.

"Aid is coming into the Gaza Strip. The challenge will be making sure that we can scale up that aid and get more in with urgency because the volumes that have been coming in throughout this conflict have been far too low," she says.

She goes on to say that she hopes today "will be the first day that we see that surge in aid" and adds that it needs to get to people across Gaza.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Jerusalem

Image source, EPA

I’ve spoken to an Israeli military official about the preparations under way for the Israeli hostage handover.

The official said the transfer of the hostages will follow the same procedure as the operation earlier this year, which began with:

1. Hostages being transferred by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to a special Israel Defense Forces squad
2. That squad will then bring them to the Re'im military base in southern Israel
3. Family members will be waiting for the hostages at reception points
4. They will then travel with them by helicopter to hospitals where they will receive further treatment

"In case of urgent medical needs, the evacuation will be carried out directly to the hospital without stopping at the [reception] compound," the official said.

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

This morning Israeli public radio, Kann Radio, reports that Israeli officials expect the hostages to be released from captivity tomorrow morning, an assessment that was reinforced by a public interview given yesterday evening by Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official.

Israel's public broadcaster reports that Gal Hirsch, the government's hostage coordinator, has written to the hostages’ families.

In their report, it says Hirsch has told them that the international task force would begin to act as soon as the hostages are released to find all of the deceased hostages whose remains are not returned to Israel by tomorrow afternoon and return them to Israel.

Image source, Anadolu via Getty Images

After days of negotiations last week, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire deal for Gaza.

The Israeli military says that a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory took effect at 12:00 local time (10:00 BST) on Friday, and its forces have pulled back to an agreed position within the territory - though troops still occupy half of the Strip.

The start of the ceasefire means a 72-hour countdown began, during which Hamas must release all living Israeli hostages - 20 are believed to still be alive. They must be handed over by 12:00 local time (10:00 BST) on Monday.

The first phase of Trump's deal also involves the start of the release of the deceased hostages.

In exchange, Israel is expected to release around 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza. Increased amounts of aid will also enter the Strip.

• Read more about the Gaza ceasefire agreement

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

Image source, EPA

A massive crowd gathered once again in Hostages Square last night, but at the latest demonstration, instead of anger and anguish, there were cheers as President Trump’s envoys - Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner - took to the stage.

As part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal, which they helped to broker, Hamas must return the remaining hostages it’s holding by 12:00 local time (10:00 BST) on Monday. Twenty are believed to be alive.

About 1,700 detainees from Gaza and around 250 Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange.

With big questions unanswered about the future of Gaza, Trump and the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi will then chair a summit of more than 20 countries in Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss the next steps.

Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have been streaming back to northern Gaza after Israeli troops partially withdrew. A major scale up in urgently needed aid is now expected to begin.

We've been seeing some images that show aid trucks arriving to southern Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt this morning.

Under the terms of the ceasefire and hostage release deal, the amount of aid entering Gaza is due to be scaled up - but the World Food Programme (WFP) told the BBC on Saturday that a surge of aid lorries had "not yet" entered Gaza, reporting only two to three lorries entering the territory daily.

It's not yet clear how many trucks have entered southern Gaza since the ceasefire in the Palestinian territory took effect on Friday.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

US President Donald Trump will lead an international peace summit in Egypt on Monday alongside the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

A spokesperson for Egypt's presidency said on Saturday the summit is intended to "end the war in the Gaza Strip, strengthen peace and stability efforts in the Middle East, and open a new page in regional security and stability."

Leaders from more than 20 countries are expected to be in attendance at Sharm El-Sheikh, a spokesman for al-Sisi has said.

Trump also told reporters at the White House on Friday: "We have a lot of leaders from all over the world coming too, they've been invited."

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be among the leaders travelling to the summit, No 10 has said. French President Emmanuel Macron will also attend, the Élysée Palace confirmed on Saturday.

Image source, PA Media

An international summit on US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan is to be held in Egypt tomorrow, arriving on the heels of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas coming into effect on Friday.

World leaders including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are expected to join the US president in the region after he takes off this evening.

Elsewhere, Hamas is expected to return all the remaining Israeli hostages tomorrow morning.

Last night, in Tel Aviv, hundreds of thousands of Israelis gathered in Hostages Square at what they hope will be the last weekly rally demanding their release.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff was among the guests in attendance. While addressing the crowd, he said the hostages "are coming home" and praised Trump for making a Gaza ceasefire and hostage return deal possible.

Elsewhere, in Gaza, Palestinian officials said yesterday about 500,000 people have returned to the territory's north - which lies in ruins - in the past two days, following the withdrawal of Israeli troops.

We're poised to bring you updates throughout the day from across the region, so stay with us.

The stage is set, but there's much to rebuild for a lasting peacepublished at 22:14 BST 11 October

22:14 BST 11 October

Barbara Plett Usher
Reporting from Tel Aviv

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

It’s a long journey home – not in distance but in how you measure a life.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are heading back to their houses now it’s safe to return, what’s left of them - the scale of destruction is hard to take in.

For many like Ahmed al Jabari, everything is lost: "My house, which I built 40 years ago, was gone in a moment. There is no one left for me.

"All my brothers are gone, martyred, and my nephews have all been martyred. What’s left in the world? Death is better than the struggle that we are in."

The Israeli army has pulled back from the frontline, but still occupies more than half of Gaza, ready to move in again if it feel there’s a threat.

Under the deal aid can flood in. Humanitarian agencies have trucks loaded with food and medicine – but many are still waiting for the green light to go in, says Tess Ingram from Unicef.

The stage is set now for the release of the last Israeli hostages – 48 of them, only 20 still believed to be alive.

This is the best chance for ending the war – a pathway set out in President Trump’s plan – he’s heading soon to Israel to celebrate.

But there are still so many questions, so many obstacles, and so much to rebuild for a lasting peace.

• We're now bringing our live coverage to an end - keep up to date in our news story.

Matt Spivey
Live editor

Image source, EPA

Saturday marks the second day of the ceasefire in Gaza, and Hamas's deadline to return the remaining 48 Israeli hostages is nearing.

In Israel, a sense of hope and excitement filled a huge rally in Hostages Square as Israelis chanted "thank you Trump”, but booed when US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff mentioned PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

Under the first phase of US President Donald Trump's plan, Israel is expected to release 1,700 detainees from Gaza and about 250 Palestinian prisoners - they said today they have already been transferring prisoners ahead of their release.

Trump will be joined by 20 world leaders in Egypt on Monday for a summit on ending the Gaza war, the Egyptian Presidency confirmed.

A power vacuum has emerged in parts of Gaza following the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Hamas today announced it has recalled 7,000 fighters to reassert control over Gaza in areas vacated by Israeli troops.

Image source, EPA

Meanwhile, the Hamas-run civil defence says it's digging through rubble searching for the bodies of missing Palestinians.

People have been attempting to reach the territory to see if their homes have survived the destruction - one Palestinian woman says everything is "destroyed" in her northern neighbourhood.

We'll shortly be bringing our live coverage to a close but our next, and final, post from Barbara Plett Usher will take a closer look at this chance to end the war, and what's next for Israel and Gaza.

Rushdi Abualouf
Gaza correspondent, in Istanbul

A Palestinian source told the BBC that Khalil al-Hayya, head of the Hamas delegation to the ceasefire negotiations, left the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday along with most members of the negotiating team.

Only two senior Hamas officials remain in the city: Ghazi Hamad, who oversees coordination with Egypt, and Ihab Jabarin, responsible for the file of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

According to the source, Hamas will not attend the signing ceremony of the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan, which is expected to take place in Sharm el-Sheikh in Monday.

The source added that the remaining Hamas representatives are staying behind to follow up on the technical and logistical arrangements for implementing the deal, particularly those related to the hostages-prisoners exchange.

US President Donald Trump will be attending a summit on the Gaza peace plan in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday, a spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency has confirmed.

They add that more than 20 other leaders will also be at the summit, which will focus on an "agreement to end the war in Gaza".

"The summit aims to end the war in the Gaza Strip, strengthen efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East," the spokesperson says in a statement.

They add the meeting comes after Trump's "vision for achieving peace in the region and his relentless pursuit of ending conflicts around the world".

Earlier, we reported that French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed his attendance, in a statement he said he will use the meeting to "express his full support for the implementation of the agreement".