Lana Lam
Live digital reporter

Three Israeli hostages held by Hamas since 7 October 2023 were freed today in the fourth release of hostages since the start of the ceasefire deal on 19 January.

Israel later released 183 Palestinian prisoners that had been held in its jails, who were met by jubilant crowds in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Here's how the day unfolded:

• At 08:30am local time (06:30 GMT), Hamas handed over Ofer Kalderon, 53 and Yarden Bibas, 34, to the Red Cross in Khan Younis. Two hours later, US-Israeli Keith Siegel, 65, was released in Gaza City
• Both handovers were in "stark contrast" to the chaotic scenes on Thursday, BBC's Alice Cuddy writes, when seven hostages - two Israelis and five Thai nationals - were surrounded by large crowds in Khan Younis
• After the release of the three hostages, buses carrying Palestinian prisoners arrived from Ofer prison into Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank and Khan Younis to cheering crowds

• As part of the ceasefire, the Rafah border crossing was re-opened after its closure last May, allowing wounded Palestinians to cross into Egypt for medical treatment and aid trucks to enter the territory

We're closing our live coverage now but you can keep up to date with the latest updates in our news story.

Image source, Reuters

Joe Inwood
BBC News correspondent

This deal was never going to be without controversy or critics, especially on Israel’s far right. It sees hundreds of Palestinians freed in exchange for a far smaller number of Israelis.

Itamar Ben-Gvir resigned as National Security Minister over the deal, saying he was "horrified" that "life-sentenced terrorists" would be released.

It may be memories of the deal to exchange Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners weighs heavy here. One of those released in the 2011 deal was Yahya Sinwar, who went on to mastermind the 7th October attacks.

Indeed, some of those being released had been found guilty of serious crimes, although none were accused of involvement in October 7th. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Association say 18 were serving life, with another 54 having received long sentences.

It is worth pointing out, however, that the majority of those freed were held on what Israel calls “administrative detention”, but what their critics call imprisonment without charge.

Of the 183 being released today, 25 of them are said to have gone to the occupied West Bank, seven will be deported to Egypt, with the rest being sent to Gaza.

It’s interesting to note, although maybe unsurprising, that on Israeli media the overwhelming focus of the coverage is the emotional scenes as the men reunite with their families, rather than the pictures of family reunions simultaneously taking place in the occupied West Bank.

Image source, Reuters

Southern Gaza tent city thinning as ceasefire continuespublished at 12:53 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February

12:53 GMT 1 February

By Paul Brown, BBC Verify

Satellite imagery from 30 January shows the vast encampment in southern Gaza is reducing as people head home.

Throughout the conflict, Gazans were encouraged by the Israeli military to take shelter in the south.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, people have been permitted to return to their homes in the north over the past week.

Image source, Reuters

The family of Keith Siegel, the final hostage to be released today, says they are "filled with indescribable excitement" as he steps foot in Israel again and undergoes medical checks.

In a press release, they write that "after 484 long, terrifying days and nights, full of immense worry for our father, we can breathe again".

They thank the Israeli and American governments for helping make this deal possible.

"There are now 79 hostages who are also waiting to be reunited with their loved ones. Our hope rests with you," the statement adds.

Image source, Maayan Toaf / GPO

We can now bring the latest images from Israel as freed hostage Ofer Kalderon has been reunited with his family.

In the emotional embrace, his children say to him "that's it, it's over, Dad. Now you're with us."

Meanwhile Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed the release of Kalderon and the two other Israeli hostages - Yarden Bibas and Keith Siegel.

"Together with all the citizens of Israel and many around the world, my wife and I embrace you upon your return home," Netanyahu writes.

"Our thoughts are now with Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, and all of our abductees. We will continue to work to bring them home. The people of Israel are alive.

As a reminder, Yarden's wife Shiri and their two young sons Ariel, five and Kfir, two, have not yet been released. Hamas says they were killed in an Israeli air strike but Israel says it can't verify this.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Tel Aviv

Among those who have gathered in Hostage Square today is Doron Zexer, who hosted Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander during his military service in Israel.

He says he was "so excited" to see the release of three more hostages today.

"This is my family. I don't know them but since 7 October they have become my family," he says.

But, he adds, "we have to finish it" and keep going "until the last hostage comes back".

Edan was 19 when he was taken hostage on 7 October 2023. Following the release today of Keith Siegel, there are six Americans still held in Gaza. Edan is one of two thought to still be alive.

While Edan remains in Gaza and will not be freed in the first phase of the ceasefire deal, Doron says he is confident he will return.

"It's not if he will come back, it's when. Edan will come back," he says.

Since the ceasefire agreement came into effect on 19 January, a total of 18 Israeli hostages have been released.

That leaves 79 still unaccounted for, although only 44 are believed to be alive, according to Israel.

During the first six-week phase of the deal, a total of 33 hostages should be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

In addition, Hamas is still holding two men seized after crossing into Gaza from Israel before the war - Avera Mengistu, 27, an Ethiopian-Israeli dual national, and Hisham al-Sayed, 35, a Bedouin Arab, as well as the body of a soldier killed during a conflict in 2014.

In the second phase, the remaining living hostages are to be released, and in the final phase, the bodies of dead hostages are to be handed over.

• Hamas hostages: Stories of the people taken from Israel

We can now bring you the latest images from the occupied West Bank of jubilant scenes after the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

Large crowds gathered around buses carrying prisoners in the town of Beitunia, west of Ramallah, as well as in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip, as Israel confirmed the release of all 183 Palestinian prisoners due to be freed today.

This comes after three Israeli hostages were freed by Hamas earlier today in Gaza.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Israeli authorities say all 183 Palestinian prisoners due to be freed today have been released.

The prisoners were transferred from the Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank and Ketziot prison in southern Israel ahead of their release, a spokesperson for the Israel Prison Service says.

Earlier, we reported on scenes of Palestinian prisoners arriving in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank and being reunited with loved ones. Some of the prisoners released today have been serving life or lengthy sentences.

• As a reminder: The prisoners were released after three Israeli hostages were freed by Hamas earlier today, with two men handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis and another man released in Gaza City

We're seeing live footage now of buses pulling up in Khan Younis, Gaza. Palestinian prisoners are exiting the bus where they are being met by huge and jubilant crowds.

Some of the freed prisoners are hanging out of the windows of the buses, waving at the large crowds that have gathered.

Earlier, 25 Palestinian prisoners were released in the West Bank as part of the ceasefire deal.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Tel Aviv

Image source, EPA

Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have been allowed to return to their communities in northern Gaza this week under the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

We've been speaking on the phone today with Ashraf al-Dous who has returned to his neighbourhood in Gaza City and says he was shocked by the scale of damage caused by Israeli bombing.

"It really a mess," he says. "The situation is catastrophic."

He adds that most floors in his apartment building have been destroyed.

"I didn't expect the situation to be like this - it's too much," he says.

He adds that some people, including his father, have headed back to the south after seeing the scale of destruction.

Image source, EPA

As we reported in our last post, the Rafah crossing has reopened today to people for the first time since May 2024.

Buses carrying wounded and sick Palestinians have been forming queues at the border and are beginning to cross into Egypt. The EU's civilian border mission has been deployed to the border to support the transfers.

The Rafah crossing, which is on Gaza's southern border, has been a key humanitarian corridor throughout this war, where aid trucks are able to enter the country.

The crossing is also the only exit for people able to flee since the start of the war.

However, humanitarian organisations have long criticised the closure of the crossing for reducing the amount of aid getting into the Gaza Strip.

Image source, Reuters

The first group of wounded Palestinians needing medical treatment have been evacuated to Egypt from Gaza after the re-opening of the Rafah border crossing in the south of the territory - it is the sole crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas-run health ministry says 50 patients have left Gaza to Egypt via the crossing to access medical care.

The crossing - which Gaza calls its "gateway to the world" - has been closed to civilians since May 2024.

We can now bring you some reaction to the release of three Israeli hostages - Yarden Bibas, Ofer Kalderon and Keith Siegel - earlier today in Gaza.

A statement by Israeli President Isaac Herzog reads "each one deserves the time to rehabilitate and rebuild their lives".

In a post on X, he says the country has "worried and awaited their return".

Herzog adds he remains "deeply concerned for the fate of our beloved Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas", the family of Yarden Bibas who were taken hostage but have not returned with him.

"As an entire nation we hold them in our hearts," Herzog says. "We will not rest nor be silent until we return all our sisters and brothers".

As we've been reporting, a bus carrying Palestinian prisoners has arrived in the occupied West Bank.

Crowds gathered around the bus as the prisoners made their way out of the vehicle.

• As a reminder: After the release of three hostages in Gaza, 183 Palestinian prisoners are due to be released today. According to a Hamas-affiliated news agency, 25 Palestinian prisoners were on the bus that arrived west of Ramallah a short time ago.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Hamas-affiliated Safa news agency says 25 freed Palestinian prisoners were on the bus that arrived in the town of Beitunia, west of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.

Hostage handover avoids chaotic scenes, but deep disquiet over Hamas' impression of authoritypublished at 10:10 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February

10:10 GMT 1 February

Joe Inwood
BBC News correspondent

The contrast with Thursday’s chaotic hostage handover could not be more stark. That saw surging crowds pressing in, with genuine concern for the safety of those being handed over.

It led to such anger in Israel that the subsequent release of Palestinian prisoners was delayed. Today's release of hostages was ordered and stage-managed, an attempt by Hamas to show that they are still the governing force in Gaza.

The banner on stage bore the images of their leaders killed in fighting, while lines of well-armed men kept all onlookers at bay. At least one of them can be seen carrying an Israeli rifle, presumably captured during the conflict.

The certificates of release held by Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas as well as the sight of officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross signing paperwork, further added to the impression of authority Hamas clearly wanted to present.

Israel had told mediators it could not tolerate a repeat of the chaos of last Thursday. There was no repeat, but today’s highly stage-managed events, which saw two men who have spent more than a year in captivity made to wave to crowds, will undoubtedly cause deep disquiet here, but for very different reasons.

Palestinian prisoners are now getting off a bus in the West Bank.

Large crowds have surrounded the vehicle, as officials are battling their way off the bus amongst the crowds.

A man is shouting in the doorway of the bus, and prisoners are climbing out and being held up by the crowd.

We're now seeing several buses leaving Ofer prison, in Israel, where many of the 183 Palestinian prisoners due to be released today have been held.

It's not yet been confirmed if any of the 183 prisoners are on board the buses.

As a reminder, three Israeli hostages were freed this morning, as more than 180 Palestinian prisoners will be released today as part of the exchange - following the ceasefire deal that began on 19 January.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Tel Aviv

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.

• Inside the operation to bring Israel's hostages home from Gaza