People look at an installation which shows the pictures of hostages taken by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas following a deadly infiltration of Israel by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip on October 7, before some of them are due to be released as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas to free hostages held in Gaza in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 24, 2023
Live

More hostages set for release on second day of truce

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With updates from Yolande Knell, Nick Beake, Orla Guerin and Tom Bateman in Jerusalem; Lucy Williamson in the West Bank, Anna Foster in Tel Aviv; James Landale in southern Israel; Wyre Davies in Lebanon

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Live Reporting

Edited by Nadia Ragozhina

All times stated are UK

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  1. Palestinian prisoner: Release came as surprise

    Marah Bakeer
    Copyright: BBC
    Image caption: Marah Bakeer was released from an Israeli prison on Friday

    A total of 39 Palestinian detainees have been released from Israeli prisons in exchange for a group of hostages held by Hamas.

    They are accused of a range of offences, from throwing stones to attempted murder. Some were convicted while others were awaiting trial.

    The group of 24 women and 15 teenage boys was released across the Beituniya checkpoint in the occupied West Bank.

    One of the released women is Marah Bakeer. She arrived at her mother’s house in Beit Hanina in Jerusalem on Friday night.

    She was arrested in 2015, when she was 16 years old, and sentenced to eight and a half years in jail for a knife attack on a border police officer.

    Bakeer told waiting journalists: “This deal comes following the death of many people and this makes us unhappy and uncomfortable.”

    “The news of the deal was a surprise,” she added.

  2. Who are the hostages released by Hamas?

    Yafa Adar
    Copyright: Family handout
    Image caption: Yafa Adar has been released by Hamas

    Thirteen hostages - all women and children - were freed as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas.

    Among them is Yafa Adar, 85, She was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October.

    Her granddaughter Adva found a video of her being taken to Gaza, surrounded by four armed men. She has three children, eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, the group speaking for families said. Yafa's grandson Tamir, 38, who defended the kibbutz as part of the Nir Oz emergency squad, was also taken to Gaza, the Times of Israel reported.

  3. A pause in fighting brings some respite to war-torn Gaza

    Yolande Knell

    Reporting from Jerusalem

    There were late night scenes of celebration outside a hospital where some of the freed Israeli women and children were taken for medical checks and to be reunited with their families.

    They’d been brought out of Gaza by the International Committee of the Red Cross and handed over to Israeli security forces at Egypt’s Rafah crossing.

    In the occupied West Bank, crowds greeted some of the 39 Palestinian women and boys released from Israeli jails yesterday, as they were brought by coach to an Israeli checkpoint.

    Further releases are due to take place today and for the next two days, as a pause in fighting also brings some respite to those in war-torn, besieged Gaza.

    The UN says that yesterday saw the biggest amount of aid enter the strip via Egypt, in the past seven weeks.

    Already today, more lorries are lining up. Although both sides have said that fighting will resume, President Biden – who was involved in reaching the deal mediated by Qatar – has said there’s a real chance of extending the truce.

  4. More hostages to be released on second day of the truce

    Israel says it is examining a list of 13 further hostages who are due to be released by Hamas later today. In exchange a number of Palestinian prisoners are also due to be freed.

    Lorries carrying humanitarian aid are already lined up to head into Gaza through the Rafah crossing for a second day.

    Despite the temporary truce, conditions in the territory remain dire. Fuel, food, water and medical supplies are desperately needed.

    Almost 200 aid lorries reached Gaza on Friday, the biggest convoy since Hamas's attacks on Israel on 7 October and Israel's retaliatory offensive.

  5. Second day of truce after first hostages and prisoners exchanged

    Nadia Ragozhina

    Live reporter

    Hello and welcome to the live page as we restart our coverage.

    It's now more than 24 hours into a four-day temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

    The truce appears to be holding after the first group of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners were exchanged and the biggest humanitarian aid convoy reached Gaza.

    A total of 24 hostages were returned to Israel - 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and one Filipino - which in turn released 39 Palestinian prisoners to the West Bank.

    Under the terms of the agreement a total of 50 Israeli hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners are meant to be released during this truce.

    Stay with us as we bring you all further developments on this story.

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