Who are some of the hostages still held in Gaza?published at 10:4010:40
We’ve been reporting that three Israeli women have been freed on the first day the ceasefire deal came into effect.
A total of 33 people taken hostage since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023 are expected to be released in the first six-week phase of the ceasefire, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israel.
According to Israel, 91 hostages are still unaccounted for, although only 57 are believed to be alive.
In addition, Hamas is still holding two men seized after crossing into Gaza from Israel before the war.
Four more Israeli women will be released this week, Biden sayspublished at 10:2210:22
Earlier on Sunday evening, US President Joe Biden confirmed that four more Israeli women hostages will be released in the next week, echoing what the Israel Defense Forces had said earlier.
“And three hostages every seven days thereafter including at least two Americans in this first phase,” Biden said in a post on X, external. “We pray for their long recovery ahead.”
The US, alongside Qatar and Egypt, had sought to mediate this ceasefire for months.
Earlier in the day, Biden reflected on the hostage and ceasefire deal in one of his last speeches as president of the US, saying that the Middle East has been “fundamentally transformed”.
Anticipation and anxiety in the West Bankpublished at 10:0410:04
The BBC had earlier spoke to Diash Dara, who yesterday was waiting for her sister Hadil to be released.
Her sister, she says, is a 32-year-old university administrative worker who was detained without charge for seven months.
Diash says she is feeling “happy” about her sister’s release, but also “confused a little bit because of what happened in Gaza”.
“The most important thing is that they stopped the war in Gaza. Even if she wasn’t released today, we [would] be ok with it. But at least the war has been ended.”
Blinken thanks Qatari PM for ‘critical role’ in mediation effortspublished at 09:4009:40
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has thanked Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani for his “critical role” in mediation efforts that culminated in the ceasefire, the US Department of State said.
“The secretary highlighted the need to continue advancing post-conflict planning for Gaza, expressed his gratitude for the prime minister’s support and wished him well on continued efforts to build lasting peace in the region,” the department said in a statement, external.
Here’s what you need to knowpublished at 09:1509:15
If you’re just joining us now, here’s a quick look at what’s happened over the past few hours:
- Ninety Palestinian prisoners have been released early on Monday, hours after three Israeli hostages were freed by Hamas in Gaza city
- Hamas says that for every Israeli hostage released, 30 Palestinian prisoners will be freed from Israeli jails
- Most of the prisoners released on Monday are women and children. Prominent Palestinian politician Khalida Jarrar – a leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – is among them
- More than 630 aid trucks have entered Gaza on Sunday, the UN says
- While celebrating the much-awaited ceasefire deal, the WHO chief has warned that addressing the “massive health needs” of those in Gaza will be a “complex and challenging task”
Relatives greet freed Palestinian politician Khalida Jarrarpublished at 08:4908:49
Earlier we reported that Palestinian politician Khalida Jarrar is believed to be among those freed. We’re now seeing images of her being greeted by family and well-wishers as she arrives in Ramallah early on Monday.
‘The wait was extremely hard’, freed Palestinian tells AFPpublished at 08:2808:28
One of the first Palestinian prisoners to be released told AFP news agency her journey towards freedom began at 03:00 on Sunday, where she was taken from her prison and moved to another closer to the Israel-Gaza barrier.
Bushra al-Tawil, a Palestinian journalist who was taken prisoner in March 2024, said she first learned she would be freed from other inmates who had attended a hearing.
“The lawyers told them the (ceasefire) deal had been announced and was in the implementation phase,” she said.
“The wait was extremely hard. But thank God, we were certain that at any moment we would be released.”
She remains worried about her father, who is still a prisoner in an Israeli jail, though she says she has received news that he would be released subsequently as part of the ceasefire deal.
What’s included in the ceasefire deal?published at 08:0708:07
As we mentioned earlier – the ceasefire deal is one that comes in three stages. The first six-week phase of the deal sees 33 hostages – including women, children and elderly people – exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Israeli forces will also withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza, displaced Palestinians will be allowed to begin returning to their homes and hundreds of aid lorries will be allowed into the territory each day.
Negotiations for the second phase – which should see the remaining hostages released, a full Israeli troop withdrawal and a return to “sustainable calm” – are then due to start on the 16th day.
The third and final stage involves the return of any remaining hostages’ bodies and the reconstruction of Gaza – something which could take years.
But unanswered questions remain – including which hostages are alive or dead, or whether Hamas knows the whereabouts of all those who remain unaccounted for.
Hugs as freed prisoners reunited with familypublished at 07:2307:23
More pictures are rolling in after the Palestinian prisoners’ release.
Here are some of the latest images we’ve seen showing the moments that the Palestinians were reunited with their families:
