Jack Burgess
Live page editor

Image source, GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE/Reuters

We're about to pause today's live page following the latest developments in the Israel-Gaza war.

But before we go here's a quick summary of what's been happening on Saturday in the Middle East:

• Four female Israeli soldiers being held hostage have been released by Hamas as part of a ceasefire agreement that also saw 200 Palestinian prisoners freed today
• The four women - who are the second group of hostages released since a ceasefire deal was agreed - are Israeli soldiers who were taken captive during the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas
• There were jubilant scenes in the West Bank after Israel freed the 200 prisoners. More than half of the Palestinians released had been serving life sentences in Israeli jails but others had never been charged with a crime. Around 70 of the most serious offenders were deported via Egypt to neighbouring countries, including Qatar and Turkey

Image source, Reuters

• However, Israel accused Hamas of breaching the terms of the ceasefire because female civilian hostage Arbel Yehud was not included in Saturday's release. As a result, Israel has delayed the planned return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza
• Hamas says the hostage will be released next weekend

Today's page was written by Lana Lam, Adam Goldsmith, Tinshui Yeung and Hollie Cole. It was edited by Jenna Moon, Rorey Bosotti and Jack Burgess.

You can continue following these events with our latest stories and videos:

• Four Israeli hostages released by Hamas in carefully-staged handover
• 200 Palestinian prisoners released to jubilant scenes in West Bank
• Watch: Emotional reunions as Israeli hostages see their families
• Watch: West Bank celebrations as freed Palestinian prisoners return

Nick Beake
Reporting from Tel Aviv

Thousands are currently packing the place they’ve called 'Hostage Square' in Tel Aviv ever since the 7 October attacks.

There have been cheers in the past hour as the four women freed from Hamas earlier appeared on the big screen and then applause for the faces of the 90 hostages still being held in Gaza.

Boos rang out when one of the speakers mentioned the name of Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is arguing the war against Hamas must continue.

Eli Shtivi, whose son Idan is still being held by Hamas, urged Israelis not to let far-right politicians blackmail Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu into resuming military operations in Gaza - something people in this square believe would greatly diminish the chances of more family reunions like the ones seen today.

The message tonight is that this 15 month-long fight must not end until all of the hostages are brought home.

We can bring you more on reports of gunshots being heard in central Gaza, where a large group of people have gathered to return to the north of the strip.

The Reuters news agency, citing the Hamas-run health ministry, and Palestinian media have been reporting one person dead and some people injured.

Gunshots can be heard in footage reportedly of the incident, which has been circulating online. BBC Verify has authenticated the location of footage but the BBC has not independently verified reports of a casualty.

In response to these reports, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said in a series of posts on X, external: "In the central Gaza Strip, several gatherings of dozens of suspects were identified who posed a threat to the forces, following which the forces responded with firing to disperse them."

"Contrary to reports emerging in recent hours, all of the shooting in the area was carried out for the purpose of distancing and not aimed at harm," it says.

"We emphasise that as of this stage, no injuries to the suspects are known to have occurred as a result of the shooting," the IDF says.

Image source, Reuters

The White House has released a statement about today's exchange of hostages and prisoners.

Both the newly-inaugurated US President Donald Trump and outgoing President Joe Biden have claimed credit in recent weeks for the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

"Today the world celebrates as President Trump secured the release of four more Israeli hostages who were, for far too long, held against their will by Hamas in horrific conditions," the White House statement says.

It adds that the US will keep working with Israel to push for the release of all remaining hostages and to pursue peace in the region.

• As a reminder, the ceasefire talks are being mediated by intermediaries from Qatar, Egypt and the US, including officials from the Trump administration. Before the end of Joe Biden's term in the White House, representatives of his administration were also part of the negotiating efforts

Image source, EPA

As we've been reporting, hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans have been waiting for Israel to unblock a key road that would allow them to the north of Gaza.

Israel earlier warned that Gazans won't be allowed to travel north until plans are in place for the release of Israeli civilian Arbel Yehud.

Here are some of the latest images we've received of Gazans waiting to return to northern Gaza along the al-Rashid road:

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

Gunshots heard in footage showing large crowds in central Gazapublished at 18:17 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

18:17 GMT 25 January

Image source, Getty Images

Gunshots have been heard in a central area of Gaza where a large group of people had gathered in the hope of returning to the north of the strip.

Footage shared to Instagram shows people seeking cover near the coastal road just north of Nuseirat.

Four shots can be heard in the video, although it is unclear who is firing.

BBC Verify has identified the location by matching identifiable features like buildings and land formations.

Social media footage posted from the same location earlier today showed large crowds with their belongings awaiting authorisation to proceed north.

They had gathered at a spot around 600m from the southern edge of the so-called "Netzarim axis", an area the Israel Defense Forces has warned people against approaching.

The family of Arbel Yehud - an Israeli civilian held hostage by Hamas - have released a statement.

As a reminder, Israel initially expected her to be one of the four hostages included in today's exchange with prisoners.

A Hamas source told the BBC earlier today that she would be released next Saturday with the next group of hostages set to be freed.

"Our hearts are filled with joy at the return of Karina, Daniella, Liri and Naama," the statement says, referring to the four hostages released by Hamas today.

"We eagerly await the moment when we can embrace our Arbel," it adds.

Image source, Israel Government Press Office / Amos Ben-Gershom

We've been hearing from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been speaking with the parents of Liri Albag - one of the hostages freed by Hamas today.

Netanyahu describes the release of the four hostages as a “very happy moment”.

"My wife and I, together with the entire people of Israel, embrace Liri and her friends who have emerged into a great light," he says.

"This is truly a great day. We are working on the release of everyone else," Netanyahu adds.

We've received new statements from the families of two of the hostages released by Hamas earlier today.

Daniella Gilboa's family says she has "survived 477 days in the hell of Gaza and has finally returned to our family's embrace".

"How we've prayed for this moment!" the statement says, going on to thank Israelis for their "prayers and support during this time," the family adds: "We couldn't have made it through without you."

Karina Ariev's family says she is a "symbol of courage, heart, and determination, and we are proud of her beyond words".

"After 477 tumultuous days of pain, worry, and endless anxiety – we finally got to embrace our beloved Karina, hear her voice, and see her smile that once again fills us with light," the statement reads.

Image source, EPA

It's just gone 17:00 here in London and 19:00 in Israel and Gaza - and lot has happened so far today.

If you're only just joining us, here's a quick summary of what's been going on:

• Four female hostages - Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag (pictured above) - who were held by Hamas in Gaza, have returned to Israel. They were IDF soldiers working at an observation post when they were captured on 7 October 2023
• The four women are now back in Israel and have undergone a series of initial medical checks - with the director of Beilinson Hospital saying they are all in a "stable condition"
• In exchange for the four hostages, Israel released 200 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons in the West Bank and the Negev desert
• About half of the prisoners will be allowed to return to their homes in the West Bank, while 70 prisoners - those who have been convicted of the most serious offences - will be deported to neighbouring countries like Qatar and Turkey. A small number will be sent to Gaza

• Elsewhere, thousands of displaced Palestinians are waiting for Israel to unblock a key road that would allow them to return to the north of the Gaza Strip
• Israel says Gazans won't be allowed to travel north until plans are in place for the release of Israeli civilian Arbel Yehud, who Israel initially expected to be one of the four hostages included in the second hostages-prisoners exchange today

As we've been reporting, 70 of the 200 Palestinian prisoners released today - primarily those convicted of the most serious offences - will be deported via Egypt to neighbouring countries, with a small number being sent to Gaza.

A delegation from Hamas will arrive on an official visit to Cairo, where they will receive the deported prisoners, the Hamas-run Shehab news agency and Al Jazeera report citing Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem.

Image source, Reuters

The director of Beilinson Hospital, where the four released Israeli hostages were taken earlier today, has just held a press briefing.

Dr Lena Koren Feldman says that, following an initial medical assessment, the four women have been found to be in "a stable condition", adding that the hospital will provide them with all the necessary medical care and emotional support.

“We’ll continue to support them in comprehensive, medical and emotional evaluation,” the director says.

She adds that it is a privilege for the hospital to play a role in the recovery process, describing it as “actually a part of the healing process of the entire Israeli people”.

Rushdi Abualouf
reporting from Cairo

Mediators are currently making progress on the issue of allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return back to the north. Up until now, the Israeli tanks are still blocking the coastal road where people were supposed to walk into the north, and we heard some warning gunfire in the last hour or so from the area.

But it seems that the mediators - the Qataris and Egyptians who have been in constant negotiations with the Israelis and Hamas - have achieved something relating to the issue.

The Israelis have asked the mediators for proof of life from Hamas for the civilian hostage Arbel Yehud, and it seems that Hamas has given this to the Egyptians.

This is what makes Egypt hopeful that the Israelis will allow hundreds of thousands of people to return back to the north.

Image source, Reuters

Things are developing very fast. We just heard in the last 10 minutes that there is some progress but we don't know yet the exact time for people to return.

Since very early in the morning, hundreds, maybe thousands of people were queuing on this coastal road.

We understand that there is a Qatari and Egyptian technical team that has been in Gaza since yesterday and they are setting up two scanners to allow up to 4,000 cars everyday to cross from the south to the north.

Now, everyone is waiting for one word from the Israelis that it's approved for them to move, then the process will start.

It is going to be a very complicated process because Israel wants to make sure that no militants or military equipment are being allowed back to the north.

These have been very frustrating hours for the people who have been waiting day after day for this, so it might be good news for them that they can start to move north very soon.

Image source, The Hostages and Missing Families Forum

Thousands of displaced Palestinians are anxiously waiting for Israel to unblock a key road in Gaza so they can return to the north.

But the reopening has been delayed, with Israel earlier warning that Gazans won't be allowed to travel north until plans are in place for the release of Israeli civilian Arbel Yehud.

Yehud, 29, was taken hostage on 7 October 2023 by Hamas gunmen from Kibbutz Nir Oz with her boyfriend Ariel Cunio, 27.

Her brother, Dolev Yehud, was killed during the attack and his remains were identified by Israeli forces last June.

Israel initially expected Yehud, a civilian, to be one of the four hostages included in the second exchange but Hamas confirmed on Friday that soldiers Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag would be released.

For context, it is understood that the terms of the ceasefire stated that all living female civilian hostages would be released before female soldiers.

A little earlier, a Hamas source told BBC the group had provided Egypt with evidence Yehud is alive "and will be released next Saturday" with the next group of hostages set to be freed.

Hamas says Israel is "dragging its feet" by continuing to block access to a key road in Gaza which would allow displaced Palestinians to return to their neighbourhoods in the north.

In a statement, the group says Israel is delaying the implementation of the ceasefire "by continuing to close Al-Rashid Street and preventing the return of displaced pedestrians from the south to the north".

Hamas says it holds Israel "responsible for any disruption in the implementation of the agreement and its repercussions" on the other phases of the ceasefire.

One of the terms included in the ceasefire deal Hamas and Israel struck earlier this month is the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from populated areas and the Netzarim Corridor, a military zone cutting off the north of Gaza.

A military presence will remain in Gaza's border areas such as the southern Philadelphi Corridor.

Image source, EPA

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has announced that the second phase of the release operation is complete.

In a statement, the ICRC outlines its role in the process. It says that after transferring four hostages from Gaza to Israeli authorities, it helped facilitate the release and transfer of 128 prisoners from Israeli detention centres to Gaza and the West Bank. This follows pre-departure interviews to confirm identities and assess health and fitness for travel.

They've also conducted pre-departure interviews with prisoners ahead of a separate release and transfer arranged by Israeli authorities.

The organisation confirms a total of 200 prisoners were released today.

The Red Cross adds that, alongside release operations, it is working with partners to deliver more aid into Gaza.

As we've been reporting, the Israeli Prison Service has said that all 200 Palestinian prisoners due to be released today have been freed.

About half of them will be allowed to return home to their homes in the West Bank.

Seventy prisoners - who have been convicted of the most serious offences - will be deported via Egypt to neighbouring countries like Qatar and Turkey, and a small number will be sent to Gaza.

About 121 of the Palestinians released this week were serving life sentences.

Here's a look at the scene on the ground as people reunite with their families.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Tel Aviv

Among the hundreds who gathered in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to watch the release of the four Israeli hostages on a large screen was Prof Hagai Levine, head of the health team at the Israeli Hostages and Missing Families’ Forum.

He is encouraged by the young women’s good physical appearance. “We saw them walking, understanding what was going on, also their body language was positive,” he tells me.

However, he warns that the four soldiers will still have to undergo a full medical assessment, adding: “a good appearance doesn’t necessarily say what’s going on inside the body and soul.”

The group he is part of has led advocacy for hostage families and provided psychological help. Prof Levine says this has been invaluable.

He says the dozens of Israelis still held captive in Gaza desperately needed to come home.

“I’m very concerned that these coming weeks may be the last chance for some of the hostages, so we need to complete the deal and release all of them."

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Tel Aviv

Things are quietening down here in Hostages Square, with many people leaving after watching the four women arriving at the hospital.

Those who gathered here described their elation at the group's return. "It's brilliant, amazing, happy," one woman told me earlier as she watched their return on a big screen in the square.

She said she was not expecting everything to happen so quickly.

Another woman, Yulia Genkin, said she felt a special connection with the four women because, like them, she had served as an observer at the Nahal Oz base, but in the early 2000s.

"I don't know how to explain how I feel. It's like my sisters, but it's not my sisters. I cry and smile and laugh and cry and smile and laugh and think about Agam [a young woman from the unit who remains in Gaza]," she says.

"We've not finished our work because there are a lot of hostages still there. We're waiting to see them alive and back home."

A rally is planned in the square at 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT).

Image source, Reuters

Earlier today, four more Israeli hostages - soldiers Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag - were released from Hamas control in Gaza.

They followed the three women released six days ago, after a ceasefire was finally reached between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters.

Now that seven hostages have been returned to Israel, that leaves 87 still held in Gaza that were taken on 7 October 2023.

Of these, 53 are assumed to be alive by Israeli authorities, though Hamas claims the number is lower.

That means that 34 are presumed dead, with their bodies yet to be recovered.

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, 33 hostages are expected to be released in the first stage. That means that 26 more hostages will be released, with seven people freed so far.

Then, stage two should begin, which will see the remaining hostages released. This will give a clearer picture on the number of those captured by Hamas who are still alive.

Finally, stage three will see the bodies of the dead hostages still held in Gaza returned to Israel.