Summary

  • Four female hostages who were held by Hamas in Gaza have returned to Israel

  • The four women - who are the second group of hostages released since a ceasefire deal was agreed - are Israeli soldiers who were taken on 7 October 2023

  • Israel has released 200 Palestinian prisoners in return, 70 of whom are expected to be deported

  • However, the Israeli government accuses Hamas of breaching the ceasefire deal by not releasing civilian hostage Arbel Yehud

  • In response, Israel has said displaced Palestinians will not yet be allowed to return to northern Gaza, as had been scheduled under the deal

  • Meanwhile, Hamas says Arbel Yehud is alive and will be freed next week

Media caption,

Watch: Emotional reunions as Israeli hostages released by Hamas

  1. Tears and cheers in Hostage Square as women releasedpublished at 09:20 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

    Alice Cuddy
    Reporting from Tel Aviv

    Crowds in hostage square

    There are cheers in Hostage Square as people watch a feed of the women being handed over to the Red Cross.

    Some people are crying, and lots are holding up pictures of the hostages that have been freed.

    “It’s amazing. They’re amazing. Did you see them stand and smile?” one woman in the crowd says.

    “Just excitement,” another says when asked how she’s feeling.

  2. Joy in Tel Aviv where relatives of hostages are gatheredpublished at 09:18 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

    Family and friends of the hostages in tears and smiling as they celebrate. One woman with long grey hair and black rimmed glasses holds up a poster with a photo of one of the hostages

    As the four hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza, joy erupted in a square in Tel Aviv where family and friends of the hostages have gathered today.

    Large screens showed the exchange live and people in Tel Aviv can be seen crying, smiling and hugging each other as they hold up placards showing the names and photos of the hostages.

  3. First look: Israeli hostages handed over to Red Crosspublished at 09:16 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

    Here's how the scene looked as the four Israeli hostages were handed over to the Red Cross.

    The women were brought by Hamas militants onto a stage after exiting a Palestinian vehicle, and they smiled and waved to the crowds.

    They then made their way into Red Cross cars.

    Prisoners walk through squareImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The hostages walk through the square alongside Hamas fighters

    Four freed female soldiers in green military uniforms hold their thumbs up as they smile to the crowdImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The four female soldiers were escorted onto a stage before being walked to the Red Cross vehicles

    Female soldiers walking off stage after release. They're in green military uniforms holding paper bagsImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The four hostages were quickly walked off the stage as Hamas gunmen stood watch

  4. Red Cross departs Palestine Squarepublished at 09:12 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January
    Breaking

    Three Red Cross vehicles drive off after Israeli hostages handed over. A gunman holds a hand up to the second vehicle, large crowds in the background

    We are seeing that the Red Cross has now collected all four hostages and is leaving Palestine Square.

    We can see on our video feed that the Red Cross vehicles are driving through throngs of people in Palestine Square, while flags wave in the foreground.

  5. First glimpse of four Israeli hostagespublished at 09:09 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January
    Breaking

    We've just seen the first glimpse of the four young female Israeli hostages to be freed.

    They've just exited vehicles and are being handed over to the Red Cross, who are facilitating the exchange.

    The four hostages are dressed in uniforms and all are wearing their hair tied up. They smiled and waved at people in the square as they were brought by Hamas onto the stage.

  6. Hamas and Red Cross are signing paperworkpublished at 09:06 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January
    Breaking

    HandoverImage source, Reuters

    As we've been reporting, the Red Cross has entered Palestine Square to collect the hostages.

    We can see Hamas and Red Cross personnel sitting down at a desk to complete paperwork on a stage that has been set up for the transfer.

    There are flags waving on the stage and spectators watching the signing.

    In addition to the Red Cross vehicles in the square, we can also see unmarked black and white vehicles in the square.

  7. 'We need them back'published at 08:59 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

    Alice Cuddy
    Reporting from Tel Aviv

    Shmuel Kochavi in Tel Aviv

    People are starting to gather now at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, watching live news footage from Gaza on a large screen and waiting anxiously for the hostages' return.

    I've just been speaking to Shmuel Kochavi, who tells me he has been coming here every week in support of the hostages and their families.

    "I'm feeling very emotional and afraid. I'm afraid that something might happen to them," the 73-year-old says.

    He says the hostages coming home is the "only thing that is important. Nothing else - not the war, not Hamas, nothing. We need them back, to bring us back together as a whole country."

  8. Red Cross arrives to collect Israeli hostagespublished at 08:53 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January
    Breaking

    Red crossImage source, Reuters

    We're now seeing that the Red Cross has entered Palestine Square where they will collect the hostages. We can see on a video feed that vehicles belonging to the organisation are pulling into the area.

    They'll escort the hostages to the IDF, who will then take them for a medical assessment before reuniting them with their families.

    Remember, you can follow along by pressing watch live at the top of the page.

  9. Over half of the 200 Palestinian prisoners have been serving life sentencespublished at 08:52 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

    Jon Donnison
    Reporting from the Occupied West Bank

    Of the 200 names released by the Palestinian prisoner's association, 121 have been serving life sentences in Israeli jails.

    Seventy of those are expected to be deported via Egypt to neighbouring countries. A further 16 will be deported to Gaza and the rest will be allowed to return to their homes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

    In Ramallah, some of the families of the detainees are gathering to greet their loved ones.

    It’s unlikely the Palestinian prisoners will be handed over until the four Israeli hostages are released. If last week’s prisoner exchange is anything to go by, Palestinians here could be in for a long wait.

  10. Israeli police and Red Cross prepare for Palestinian prisoner releasepublished at 08:42 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

    A view of Ofer Prison in Jerusalem on January 25, 2025, as preparations for further exchanges of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners under the ongoing Gaza ceasefire agreement continueImage source, Getty Images

    Israeli police and Red Cross vehicles are outside Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank, preparing for the release of a second group of Palestinian prisoners.

    Hamas says it expects around 200 prisoners to be freed in the exchange today.

    We're hearing that a list of the prisoners has now been released. As part of the ceasefire deal, Israel has agreed to release 50 Palestinan prisoners for every released soldier that was taken hostage by Hamas, and 30 for every civilian hostage.

  11. Helicopter prepared to transfer Israeli hostagespublished at 08:38 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

    HelicopterImage source, Reuters

    As Palestine Square fills up with Hamas fighters and civilians in Gaza, we're also seeing pictures of an Israeli helicopter being readied on the border with Israel.

    The Israeli Air Force have confirmed they are ready to receive hostages due to be freed by Hamas today.

    In a post on X, the air force says it's Yas'ur helicopters of Squadron 118 are ready to collect the four female soldiers.

    We'll continue to bring you updates as the situation in both Gaza and Tel Aviv develops, and you can follow along by pressing watch live at the top of the page.

  12. Families await release of Palestinian prisoners in West Bankpublished at 08:28 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

    Jon Donnison
    Reporting from the Occupied West Bank

    On a crisp sunny day in the Occupied West Bank, families of Palestinian prisoners expected to be freed today are waiting with nervous anticipation to be reunited with their loved ones.

    Around 200 detainees are due to be freed in the coming hours. But the names of those to be released have still not been confirmed.

    Last weekend, it was well past midnight before the first batch of prisoners, almost all women - many of whom had never been charged with a crime - emerged from Ofer prison near Ramallah.

    Today, some of those to be freed have been convicted of murder in Israeli courts. Around half the prisoners to be released will be allowed to return to their homes in the West Bank.

    The remaining half, those convicted of the most serious offences, will be deported via Egypt to countries including Qatar and Turkey.

  13. Scenes of Hamas fighters in Gaza city jarring for Israeli PMpublished at 08:18 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

    Nick Beake
    Reporting from Jerusalem

    Gaza City with large crowds gatheredImage source, Reuters

    One video from Gaza City showed what looked more like a victory procession, as 17 white pickup trucks rolled thorough the streets with horns blaring.

    Packed in each vehicle were masked Hamas fights carrying weapons and flags. Gunfire rang out and children ran alongside the convoy.

    Much like the scenes of last weekend, this is a jarring and searing illustration for Israelis that Hamas has not been defeated and remains in control of Gaza.

    Hamas hopes the sheer number of fighters on the streets and now in Palestine Square projects their strength.

    Destroying the group was the central aim and justification of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s military operation, alongside the mission to free the hostages, he said.

    He’s still under big pressure from critics and some in his government to resume the fighting and remove Hamas from Gaza altogether, however difficult that may be.

  14. Hamas fighters stand in formation in Gaza ahead of hostage transferpublished at 08:15 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

    Alice Cuddy
    Reporting from Tel Aviv

    crowds gather next to Hamas fightersImage source, Reuters

    We've just been speaking to a journalist in Palestine Square in the heart of Gaza City, where armed and masked Hamas fighters have gathered ahead of the hostage transfer.

    Crowds of civilians are also there, waiting to see the four hostages be handed over to the Red Cross to be returned to Israel, some waving Palestinian flags. The fighters are standing in formation.

    "There are lots of fighters and vehicles here from [Hamas'] al-Qassam Brigade," he says, adding that there are also fighters there aligned with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group.

    "People are whistling and shouting 'Allahu Akhbar.'"

  15. Red Cross vehicles enter Gazapublished at 08:11 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

    The Red Cross in Gaza are preparing to collect the four female Israeli soldiers set to be freed today from Hamas.

    Buses belonging to the organisation were earlier seen heading over the main Israeli crossing into the Gaza Strip, BBC correspondent Yolande Knell reports.

    The Red Cross are facilitating the hostage swap in Gaza, with Hamas expected to hand over Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag in exchange for around 200 Palestinian prisoners.

  16. Hostage release expected within the hourpublished at 08:03 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

    Yolande Knell
    Middle East correspondent, in Tel Aviv

    Some very dramatic events are expected to start unfolding potentially within the next hour or so.

    Colleagues in Gaza have told us that armed Hamas gunmen have already been seen in two locations - in Gaza City and in the centre of the Gaza strip.

    These are potentially places where four young Israeli soldiers - three of them aged 20, one aged 19 - could be handed over to the Red Cross.

    Red Cross buses have already been seen going through the main Israeli crossing into the Gaza strip.

    Then what's expected is that the hostages will be reunited with their families just outside Gaza and then taken to a hospital not far from here for checks.

    Many people will be waiting here in hostages square in Tel Aviv for news and we've got a stage set up here and large screens and they will be able to see events as they're unfolding live.

    Part of this exchange is for those Palestinian prisoners, and it's expected there are going to be about 200 released from Israeli jails - including some who have been jailed for serious crimes and attacks on Israelis.

    We're expecting some of those will be sent abroad and others will be sent to the West Bank.

    At the same time, we're expecting a further Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza, which should allow for some more of the hundreds and thousands of displaced Gazans in the south of the strip to start moving back to the battered north.

  17. Watch: Hamas fighters in Palestine Squarepublished at 07:58 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

    As we've been reporting, Hamas fighters are gathering in Gaza City. We can now bring you some video showing the scene at Palestine Square.

    Media caption,

    Armed Hamas militants gather ahead of Israeli hostage release

  18. All quiet in hostage square as families await loved ones' returnpublished at 07:47 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

    Alice Cuddy
    Reporting from Tel Aviv

    Hostage square in Israel has posters with pictures of the four women.

    It's quiet here in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, where preparations are beginning for the return of four young women soldiers who were taken from a military base close to the Gaza border on 7 October 2023.

    Families of some of the previously released hostages and those still in Gaza will be among those who will gather here today.

    Photographs of the four young women hang on trees in the square, alongside those of other hostages. Their ages at the time of their capture 15 months ago have been crossed out, and their current ages written instead. One poster shows the women on the day they were taken.

    Ornaments shaped like broken hearts bear messages for the hostages like "waiting for you to come back home."

    News footage from Gaza is being broadcast on a large screen in the square.

  19. Hamas fighters gather ahead of releasepublished at 07:41 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

    As we wait for today's exchange to take place, we're beginning to see pictures of lots of Hamas fighters gathering in Palestine Square, in Gaza City.

    They are flying flags belonging to the group alongside Palestinian flags. The fighters are wearing military fatigues and some are carrying guns.

    White trucks can be seen lined up in the square. Other people who appear to be civilians dressed in street clothes are seen outside an area that has been cordoned off by white rope.

    Palestinian Hamas fighters gather as they prepare to release hostages who had been held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attackImage source, Reuters
  20. What to know about the Israel-Hamas ceasefire dealpublished at 07:32 Greenwich Mean Time 25 January

    Aid truck in Rafah where buildings are destroyedImage source, Getty Images

    After 15 months of war in Gaza, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement to end the fighting in the region on 15 January. Four days later, the first three hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners were released, marking the beginning of the ceasefire.

    The deal is split into three phases.

    The first phase will see 33 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza exchanged for around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners that are in Israeli jails - this process is expected to last roughly six weeks.

    Phase two - which will take place 16 days after the start of phase one - should then see the remaining hostages released, and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops.

    The third and final stage will involve the return of the bodies of any remaining hostages that died in captivity, and the reconstruction of Gaza, which is expected to take years.

    More than 46,870 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas after the 7 October attack, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Around 1,200 people were killed during the attack, and 251 were taken hostage.

    Most of Gaza's population of 2.3 million have been displaced. Some have started to return their neighbourhoods, but much of the strip has been destroyed by Israel's military campaign.