Summary

  1. Trump is undecided if Blair will be on Gaza's 'Board of Peace'published at 03:46 BST

    Two men sitting, both in dark suits, sitting at opposite ends of a cream couch, facing each other. One is smiling.Image source, Reuters/Hussein Al Sheikh via X

    US President Donald Trump says he's undecided on whether former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair will be part of the so-called Board of Peace body that will oversee the future of Gaza.

    "I've always liked Tony, but I want to find out that he's an acceptable choice to everybody," Trump told reporters on board Air Force One en route to Israel.

    Trump said he wants the board to be set up quickly and he wants "to find out that Tony would be popular with all because I just don't know that".

    Earlier on Sunday, the deputy head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) posted a photo of a meeting with Blair to discuss Gaza's future, saying the group is ready to work with Trump, Blair and other partners.

    "Today, I met with Mr Tony Blair to discuss the day after and make Trump's plan for stopping the Gaza war and establishing lasting peace in the region a success," Hussein al-Sheikh wrote.

  2. Who are the hostages believed to still be alive?published at 03:13 BST

    Composite photo of Israelis held hostage by Hamas

    Later today, Hamas is expected to release all the 48 hostages it is still holding after two years of war. Here are the names of the 20 hostages presumed to be alive.

    Ariel Cunio, 28, was abducted alongside his brother David Cunio, 35, in the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October. Ariel's last message to his family read: "We are in a horror movie."

    Evyatar David, 24, was at the Nova festival during Hamas' attacks. He texted his family to say: "They are bombarding the party."

    Gali and Ziv Berman, 28-year-old twin brothers, were abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

    Omri Miran, 48, the oldest one of the surviving hostages, was taken away from his home in Nahal Oz.

    The other hostages set to be released are: Matan Angrest, 22; Matan Zangauker, 25; Nimrod Cohen, 21; Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24; Yosef-Chaim Ohana, 25; Elkana Bohbot, 36; Avinatan Or, 32; Eitan Mor, 25; Bar Kupershtein, 23; Segev Kalfon, 27; and Rom Braslabski, 21.

    Three hostages have more than one nationality: Eitan Horn, 38, an Israeli-Argentine dual national; Maxim Herkin, 37, an Israel-Russian dual national; and Alon Ohel, 24, with Israeli, German and Serbian citizenships.

    Read more about the hostages here.

  3. Crowds gather at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv before daybreakpublished at 02:55 BST

    It's just gone 04:55 in Tel Aviv (01:55 GMT) - and crowds have gathered at Hostages Square to welcome long-awaited news that their loved ones have been released.

    In a picture post on X just moments ago, the Hostages and Missing Families forum have captioned an image of dozens of people seated in front of a large screen which will broadcast news of the Israeli hostages due to be freed from Gaza in the coming hours.

    "The square awaits the hostages," the posts says.

  4. Watch: BBC correspondent explains Trump's 'victory lap'published at 02:33 BST

    The BBC's State Department correspondent Tom Bateman gives a rundown of Trump's whirlwind schedule before boarding Air Force One.

    Media caption,

    Middle East trip will be 'victory lap' for Trump

  5. On war, Nobel, Netanyahu and Qatar - Trump's remarks before Middle East trippublished at 02:17 BST

    Donald Trump with his mouth open and holding an umbrella on an airport tarmac with secret service agents and vehicles in the backgroundImage source, Getty Images

    Donald Trump spoke to the media before boarding Air Force One headed for Israel.

    Here are the key points:

    • Trump says the "war is over" in Gaza and the ceasefire is "going to hold"
    • "I am good at solving wars. I'm good at making peace," he adds
    • Trump says he has a "very good" relationship with Israeli PM Netanyahu, whom he describes as a "wartime president", adding: "He did a very good job. I had some disputes with him, and they were quickly settled"
    • He also says Qatar should "start getting some credit" when asked how it has changed since 2017, when he accused the nation of connections to terrorism. "I think Qatar was amazing the way they helped us"
    • Trump, who repeatedly expressed an interest in the Nobel peace prize, calls the Gaza conflict the "eighth war that I've solved". He adds: "I did this not for Nobel. I did this for I did this for saving lives"
    • He says he's heard of the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan but it will "have to wait till I get back"
  6. UK to announce £20m aid package for Gazapublished at 01:53 BST

    We can now show you a photo of the UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer arriving at the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh, where a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war will be taking place on Monday.

    British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives at Sharm El Sheikh International AirportImage source, Reuters

    While in the Middle East, Starmer will pledge a £20m humanitarian aid package to help deliver water, sanitation and hygiene services to Gaza during his visit to Egypt today.

    The funding is part of a broader £116m aid commitment in support of the Palestinian people this year.

    “The UK will support the next stage of talks to ensure the full implementation of the peace plan, so that people on both sides can rebuild their lives in safety and security,” the PM is expected to say.

    “Today is the first, crucial phase of ending this war and now we must deliver the second phase, in full.”

  7. Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to start broadcast soonpublished at 01:33 BST

    Large group of people, some seated on the floor and some standing, all looking up towards a screen (which can't be seen)Image source, Reuters

    Large screens at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv will start broadcasting live in just under an hour from 04:00am local time (01:00 GMT), according to an update from the Hostages and Missing Families group.

    For months, the square has hosted regular rallies calling the remaining hostages being held in Gaza to be released.

    In a post on X a short while ago, the group says the square will remain open and "accompany the release of the hostages in real time".

    "Tonight is a yellow all-nighter," the post reads, in reference to the coloured ribbons that have come to symbolise the plight of the families of the hostages.

  8. Hostage release will follow format similar to previous handovers - IDFpublished at 01:21 BST

    Alice Cuddy
    Reporting from Jerusalem

    Israeli hostages are due to be released later today, two years after they were taken away by Hamas.

    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.

  9. A high-stakes trip for Trumppublished at 01:10 BST

    Peter Bowes
    North America correspondent

    U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One for a trip to the Middle EastImage source, Getty Images

    The stakes are high for Donald Trump.

    Widely praised for brokering a hugely consequential ceasefire, he left Washington for a lightning visit to the Middle East.

    As he boarded Air Force One the president was upbeat, anticipating what he said would be an amazing time.

    "Everybody's cheering at one time. That's never happened before. Usually if you have one cheering, the other isn't. The other is the opposite. This is the first time everybody is amazed and they're thrilled. And it's an honour to be involved," he said.

    Speaking to reporters during the flight, Trump declared that the war was over. When asked by the BBC whether he believed the ceasefire would hold, he said it would.

    He added that the region would soon “normalise,” with a planned supervisory body - the Board of Peace - to be established “very quickly” to oversee Gaza, which he described as looking like a “demolition site.”

  10. A delicate moment after two years of warpublished at 01:05 BST

    A demonstrator holds a placard with a message thanking U.S. President Donald Trump, as people gather in "Hostages square"Image source, Reuters

    A ceasefire deal struck between Israel and Hamas will reach a critical moment today.

    Hamas is due to release the 48 hostages remaining in Gaza by noon local time (09:00 GMT). Of those, 20 are believed to be alive, and are expected to swiftly be taken for medical care before being reunited with their loved ones. The bodies of 28 others are due to be returned.

    It comes as US President Donald Trump is making a trip to Israel in the wake of the deal brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar.

    Trump will address Israel's parliament before travelling to the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh to host a summit on peace in the Middle East, joined by at least 20 other world leaders.

    Trump will be greeted by "masses of Israelis with gratitude and friendship", Israel's President Isaac Herzog said Sunday, with many Israelis crediting the American president for the ceasefire deal.

    In exchange for the return of the hostages, Israel will free 250 Palestinian prisoners, including those serving life sentences. That's in addition to releasing more than 1,700 detainees held without charge over the course of the war - including nearly two dozen children.

    Elsewhere, trucks carrying aid are crossing the border into Gaza as Palestinians, forcibly displaced to the south by Israel's offensive, continue to return to the territory's north. They are being met with devastation there, finding huge swathes of Gaza City reduced to rubble.

    Stay with us as we bring you the latest on this deal and the peace summit.