Sean Seddon
BBC News

Image source, EPA

This exchange was the last scheduled to take place under the first phase of the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas.

At about midnight, the bodies of four hostages were returned to Israel via the Red Cross.

Israel then began releasing the first of about 600 Palestinian prisoners. Some were set to be immediately deported via Egypt, while the majority returned to the West Bank or Gaza - where they were met by jubilant crowds.

There are still some things we do not know:

1) Israel continues to carry out DNA testing on the four bodies to confirm their identities. We're still waiting for official word on that.

2) We don't know if all the Palestinian prisoners slated for release have indeed been freed yet.

3) More broadly, we don't know if Israel and Hamas can agree to move on to the next phase of the ceasefire deal, which would include more exchanges like this one.

We're pausing our live coverage for the time being but will be bringing you the latest on all of that in the hours, days and weeks ahead. Here are some important stories from earlier you might have missed.

• Israelis pay last respects to hostage mother and sons killed in Gaza
• 'It'll be a disaster': Uncertainty for thousands forced from West Bank camps by Israeli raids
• Watch: What an AI-generated video of Gaza reveals about Trump tactics

Thank you for reading.

Israeli media outlets say the four bodies handed over by Hamas on Wednesday night were being transported to a forensic centre in Tel Aviv.

As we've been reporting, initial tests were expected to be carried out close to the border crossing with Gaza where the exchange took place.

We've still had no word from the Israeli authorities that they are satisfied the remains received earlier belong to the four people who were due to be released. They are: Shlomo Mansour, 86, Ohad Yahalomi, 50, Tsachi Idan, 50, and Itzik Elgarat, 69.

Context: Israel said it would carry out DNA checks after discovering a body Hamas claimed was the hostage Shiri Bibas turned out to be an unidentified Gazan woman. Shira's body was later returned and buried at a funeral where thousands gathered on Wednesday.

Image source, Reuters

We're seeing live images coming in from Gaza of dozens of Palestinian prisoners being returned.

A large convoy of buses has arrived at a hospital in Khan Younis, where medical staff are waiting to meet them.

The men are all wearing Israeli-issued clothing but most appear to have turned their jumpers inside out to conceal the writing on the front.

Most have been able to walk off the bus themselves but some appear to be using crutches or look injured. Some were seen dropping to the floor to kiss the ground as they stepped off the bus.

We haven't had official confirmation of how many of the roughly 600 prisoners being released as part of this exchange have been taken to Khan Younis, but it appears to be a significant number.

We also don't know what crimes these individuals were accused or committed of - though many of those found guilty of the most serious crimes have been deported via Egypt after being released, rather than being allowed to return to Gaza or the West Bank.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

We're seeing images from Khan Younis in Gaza now of at least three buses full of prisoners being returned to the strip.

Dozens have just got off the first bus outside the city's hospital, where a crowd including several journalists have gathered.

We'll bring you more as we get it.

As we reported earlier, a bus full of Palestinian prisoners arrived in Ramallah in the West Bank earlier.

There's been no official confirmation of how many were on board but Arabic media outlets put the number at more than 40.

Israel was due to release about 600 prisoners as part of this exchange and there have been reports of more arriving in Egypt and Gaza, which we're looking into.

Those who arrived in Ramallah this evening were greeted by jubilant crowds and hoisted up on to people's shoulders. You can see some of those scenes in the video above.

Image source, EPA

While we wait for the latest on the hostage and prisoner swap, it is worth remembering that these events mark the beginning of the end of phase one of the ceasefire, which is set to expire on Saturday.

Under the terms of the six-week-old ceasefire agreement, Israel was to release around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.

But it remains to be seen whether the two sides can agree to move on to the second phase of the deal.

If they did, it would involve the terms for a permanent ceasefire being established. Remaining living hostages in Gaza would be exchanged for more Palestinian prisoners, and Israeli forces would make a complete withdrawal.

Negotiations for phase two were due to start during phase one - but it is believed they have yet to begin.

Wednesday's hostage release follows days of impasse between Israel and Hamas, which was resolved via mediators on Tuesday.

If the terms of the second phase are successfully completed, that would see the beginning of the third and final phase of the agreement.

That would see all remaining bodies of dead hostages being returned to Israel and the reconstruction of Gaza - which is expected to take years - would begin.

Image source, Getty

We now have images of the Red Cross vehicles which transported four bodies to Israel earlier.

A group of Toyota four-wheel-drive vehicles with Red Cross branding and flags were pictured on the way to where Hamas handed over the bodies.

Previously, the handovers have involved a staged ceremony orchestrated by Hamas but that didn't happen tonight, after Israeli anger at the last exchange raised the prospect of the ceasefire collapsing.

We're still awaiting word from Israeli authorities that those four bodies are the four individuals which Hamas had agreed to hand over.

Image source, Getty

The brother of Itzik Elgarat - who is expected to be among the four bodies handed over to Israel tonight - has said he was "sacrificed on a political altar" in a tribute.

Itzik was 69 when he was abducted from Nir Oz and reportedly shot in the hand during the 7 October attack.

On Facebook earlier this evening, his brother Dany posted a poem entitled "I failed", in which he said funeral arrangements were already in place, according to The Times of Israel.

"The struggle ended in defeat, I failed in the rescue mission," he added. "Forgive me and the whole nation, we didn’t do enough to save you, I didn’t honour my promise to get you back safely".

As we've been reporting, Hamas has handed over the four bodies and Israel is carrying out DNA tests to confirm their identities. We are waiting for an update on that process.

Image source, Bring Them Home Now

In this first phase of the ceasefire deal - which was due to end on Saturday - 33 Israeli hostages are supposed to be exchanged for about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

So far, 25 living hostages and eight dead hostages have been released - a total of 33.

The four dead hostages released tonight are the last to be returned under this phase of the deal. We're still awaiting DNA confirmation from Israel that the bodies are of the four people who were expected.

Five living Thai hostages have also been freed, outside the deal.

• More: Who are the Israeli hostages released and rescued from Gaza?

The bodies of four hostages have been returned to Israel, the office of the prime minister has confirmed.

As we've been reporting, the bodies were handed to the Red Cross before being taken into Israel.

They will be DNA tested to confirm their identities. We'll bring you more on this when we have it.

Image source, Reuters

We have some more images to share with you from the West Bank, where a number of Palestinian prisoners have just been released by Israel.

It's hard to get a scale of the size of the crowd that were waiting for their release. From the images we have seen, the people there are packed shoulder-to-shoulder.

We do not have any information on who the prisoners are or what crimes they were convicted of. We're also not sure how many people were released.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

A bus carrying Palestinian prisoners has arrived at a checkpoint at the Ramallah Cultural Palace, where a large crowd has gathered.

Images from the scene show some men are being carried on the shoulders of others as Palestinians celebrate their release.

Israel is expected to release 625 prisoners and detainees tonight. It's unclear how many were aboard the bus, which local media says was operated by Red Cross.

If you're just joining us, we've been receiving reports that Hamas has released the bodies of four hostages in the last release before phase one of the Gaza ceasefire deal ends on Saturday:

• Hamas has handed over the bodies of four hostages to the Red Cross in Gaza, an Israeli security source tells news agencies AFP and Reuters
• Initial identification will take place at the Israel-Gaza border, Israel's Ministry of Health has said. The cause of death will then be established in Tel Aviv
• A bus believed to be carrying Palestinian prisoners has been seen leaving Ofer Prison in the West Bank, photos from Reuters show
• More than 600 Palestinian prisoners - including more than 400 Gazans detained by Israeli forces during the war - are set to be released as part of the exchange on Wednesday

Image source, Reuters

A coach, reportedly carrying Palestinian prisoners according to Reuters, has left Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.

It comes as the bodies of four hostages have reportedly been handed over by Hamas to Israel.

Israel is tonight expected to release 625 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. They include more than 400 Gazans detained by Israeli forces during the war and 50 prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails.

More now on the four hostages' bodies that Hamas says it has handed over to the Red Cross.

A Hamas official tells AFP news agency: "The four bodies were handed over a short while ago and we are waiting for the release of Palestinian prisoners."

An Israeli security official says Hamas has handed over four hostages' bodies to the Red Cross in Gaza, according to news agencies AFP and Reuters.

Sebastian Usher
BBC Middle East analyst

Image source, Reuters

The exchange process involves the handover by Hamas of the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross and subsequently to the Israeli army.

This time, Hamas is doing it in private as Israel demanded - previous highly-staged events have caused huge anger and disgust in Israel over the past few weeks.

In return, more than 600 Palestinian prisoners - whose scheduled release last Saturday was suspended by Israel - should be freed.

That could take some hours - with an Israeli official suggesting that the last prisoners will only be released when forensic tests have definitively established the identities of the returned hostages.

Once that is done, the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will have come to an end.

But there's considerable uncertainty over what will happen next - with negotiations on the even more difficult second phase yet to begin in earnest.

Initial identification of the four hostages' bodies at the Kerem Shalom crossing will take place "as quickly as possible while being sensitive to the families", Israel's Ministry of Health has said.

"The team from the National Center for Forensic Medicine of the Ministry of Health is preparing this evening to assist in identifying the deceased hostages... and then to identify the cause of death," spokesperson Shira Solomon says in a statement.

She adds that they "once again ask the public not to give in to malicious rumours, and to only obtain information through official sources".

As we wait for more updates on the Israeli hostages' bodies being returned, we can bring you pictures of the scene outside Ofer Prison in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Palestinian prisoners are set to be freed onight.

As well as Ofer, prisoners will also be released from Ketziot prison in southern Israel.

Israel is set to release 602 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, whose release it had delayed since last weekend in protest at what it said was the cruel treatment of hostages being handed over by Hamas. They include more than 400 Gazans detained by Israeli forces during the war and 50 prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails.

A Hamas official earlier told news agency AFP that the 602 people would released as soon as hostages' bodies were returned.

He added that a smaller group of 23 Palestinian women and minors would be released after Israeli hostages had verified the hostages' identities.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

Various buildings and monuments across the world, including Berlin's Brandenburg Gate and Budapest's Chain Bridge, have been lit up in orange in memory of a family of three whose bodies were released by Hamas last week.

Israel's Foreign Ministry also said on X, external that its HQ in Jerusalem was lit up in orange on Wednesday evening in memory of Shiri Bibas, 32, and her two sons, Ariel, four, and Kfir, nine months.

Earlier on Wednesday, thousands of Israelis lined the roads of southern Israel for the funeral procession for the family, who were killed in captivity in Gaza after being taken hostage in the Hamas 7 October 2023 attacks.

Yarden Bibas - Shiri's husband and the boys' father who was released by Hamas at the start of the month - paid tribute to Shiri as "the most amazing wife and mother", saying he would always love her.

• Read more: Israelis pay last respects to hostage mother and sons killed in Gaza