this is bbc news. breaking news from the middle east. there has been a hedge in hostage release deal which in the past hour has seen hamas release for israeli soldiers but there has been no signs of a civilian hostage are expected to be released today. the israeli prime minister says israeli prime minister says israel will not allow palestinians to cross into northern gaza. however, a hamas official has told reuters the female israeli civilian arbel yehud is alive and will be released next saturday. this is the moment the fourfemale soldiers, karina ariev, daniela gilboa, naama levy

liri elbag — who are now 19 and 20 — were released in palestine square in gaza city. they were seized from an army base on the border with gaza when hamas attacked israel on october 7th 2023. they've since been reunited with their families. in return, israel was expected to free 200 palestinian prisoners and more israeli soldiers were also expected to withdraw from key positions in gaza later today, enabling thousands more palestinians to start returning to what remains of their homes in the north. the words from the prime minister's office is that that looks like that may not happen now. speaking after the release of the four women was confirmed, the israeli military spokesman daniel hagari accused hamas of not abiding by the ceasefire agreement, to release civilians before military personnel. since the 7th october massacre, our mission has been clear — bring home all the hostages

held by hamas in gaza. today, as part of this ongoing effort, we welcomed home four more israeli hostages after a77 days in hamas captivity. liri elbag, aged 19. naama levy, age 20. karina ariev, age 20. daniela gilboa, age 24. idf soldiers who were all abducted by hamas from nahal 0z on 7th october, 2023. today, we salute and embrace them and theirfamilies as they reunite just now after so long. we cannot and will not forget the 90 hostages, including women, children and elderly men, still remaining in brutal conditions in hamas captivity. hamas failed to meet its obligations to first

release israeli female civilian hostages as part of the agreement. we are determined to the return of arbel yehud, an israeli citizen kidnapped from nir oz, and also shiri bibas and her two children, kfir and ariel, whose welfare we are extremely concerned about. we appreciate and thank the efforts of all international mediators — united states, qatar and egypt — and we expect them to make sure hamas stands in accordance with the agreement. idf troops will continue to be deployed and operate and to do everything, everything to protect the citizens of israel.

our mission is not over until every single hostage comes home. daniel hagari speaking in the last hour. the israeli military has shared a recording of the families of the four hostages reacting to a live stream showing the hostages being returned to the the idf. take a look. excited talking, cheering and applause let's speak to our middle east correspondent yolande knell who's in tel aviv. let's start with the news that they have those for female young soldiers released —— four young soldiers released —— four young soldiers released —— four young soldiers released. they look to be in good health. yes.

look to be in good health. yes, i was speaking _ look to be in good health. yes, i was speaking to _ look to be in good health. yes, i was speaking to someone - look to be in good health. yes i was speaking to someone from the health team from the hostages and missing families forum and they said the fact that they walked out and were able to give thumbs up and appeared on the stage, they appeared on the stage, they appeared to be in good physical health, although as many have been pointing out, we don't know about the psychological state of these four young women after 15 months in captivity. we've also had some more pictures shared by the israeli military showing their first contact with israeli forces after they were handed over by the red cross. here in hostages square in tel aviv, where people have gathered week in, week out during the course of the war and the time that these hostages have been held in captivity in gaza, people have been following developments on a large screen. there were cheers that went up when we got the first glimpse of the four young women, aged 19 and 20.

they came out in army uniforms in palestine square surrounded by hamas and islamichhad fighters. we understand both armed groups were involved in holding this group of women. then at various stages, people here let out more cheers as it was revealed they had been handed over to the israeli forces, that they had been reunited with their families at a military base close to the gaza strip. what we are expecting is for them to be transferred to a hospital not far from tel aviv, where they will undergo more rigorous medical checks.— will undergo more rigorous medical checks. the other thing that has happened _ medical checks. the other thing that has happened in _ medical checks. the other thing that has happened in the - medical checks. the other thing that has happened in the last i that has happened in the last hour, we played the clip, is admiral daniel hagari saying that hamas hadn't abided by the ceasefire deal and now we have

also had prime minister netanyahu saying the people of gaza cannot enter the northern territory until another civilian hostages released. just explain who this hostages that was expected to be released and what you think this will mean as we go forward for the deal.— for the deal. through the course of _ for the deal. through the course of the _ for the deal. through the course of the week - for the deal. through the course of the week we i for the deal. through the i course of the week we have for the deal. through the - course of the week we have been hearing in the israeli media the expectation that a woman taken from her home on the 7th of october 2023 and has been held hostage in gaza would be released today along with israeli women soldiers as part of a group of four women. we don't know the full details of the agreement that has been mediated by qatar, egypt and the us and hamas but it was clear that civilian should be

released before soldiers and women should be released before men. 33 hostages are supposed to be released in the initial six—week ceasefire period and this has been, from the beginning, a fragile deal with lots of concern that it could easily be upended by either side or both sides before the six weeks are up, before negotiations take place to allow a second phase in which the remaining israeli hostages would be freed, and it would negotiate a full end to the war in gaza. what we had from the israeli prime minister's office after we had the news confirming that the israeli soldiers were out of gaza, they put out a brief statement saying that in accordance with the ceasefire agreement, israel would not allow gazans to move to the northern territory until after the release of arbel yehud. the wording of it allowed some wriggle room,

potentially, because we had from hamas after it, some official confirmation via a senior official saying that arbel yehud was indeed alive and that she would be released next saturday when the next exchange of hostages are scheduled to take place. of course, if it does not happen, that people in gaza have been displaced to the south, and there are hundreds of thousands of them, they are not allowed to start in the coming days to start returning to their homes as expected, that would cause an enormous amount of disquiet and people think it has the potential to really stop this ceasefire from holding. it's another moment of real anxiety about exactly what this means and you can guarantee that the mediators who have been continuing to hold talks to iron out any small disagreements and the bigger ones now taking shape, those

have been taking place, meetings in cairo and doha, to make sure they can keep the ceasefire on track. we make sure they can keep the ceasefire on track.— make sure they can keep the ceasefire on track. we have had the release _ ceasefire on track. we have had the release of _ ceasefire on track. we have had the release of the _ ceasefire on track. we have had the release of the hostages - ceasefire on track. we have had the release of the hostages as l the release of the hostages as part of the process today, no we expect around 200 palestinian prisoners to be released from israeli jails. that's correct, those prisoners also due to be handed over to the red cross and a number of them will be able to return to their homes in the occupied west bank. we are expecting around 70 of them convicted of the most serious crimes including deadly attacks on israelis to be sent out via egypt to other countries in the region. that was part of the ceasefire deal as we understand it, something which is contentious with many palestinians. the issues of the

palestinians. the issues of the palestinian prisoners held for security offences by israel is an extremely divisive one. we're just seeing the afp news saying that palestinian dt detainees have started to be released. just explain the next stage of this peace deal because we are only at phase one where we expect 33 hostages to be released overall.— to be released overall. that's correct. these _ to be released overall. that's correct. these are _ to be released overall. that's correct. these are the - to be released overall. that's i correct. these are the hostages for women, correct. these are the hostages forwomen, both correct. these are the hostages for women, both civilians and soldiers, also those civilian men including some who are known to be sick and infirm, some of them very elderly, but we also expected at this stage to hear from we also expected at this stage to hearfrom hamas a list of the 33, who is dead and two is

alive. that is really the state of uncertainty. it might not, that list, include the names, it mayjust have a number of those who are still living hostages but that is information that families are desperate for. that's another cause of the real anxiety here. the first phase is due to have negotiations begin in the coming week or so. again with the egyptian mediators and the us involved, on starting the second stage of the ceasefire. in that second stage, that's when we would see the remaining hostages being released. the majority of them, including male soldiers, and also a full end to the fighting in gaza. it's important to mention here the israeli politics which is part of the picture read you have had already one of the far right parties that is an ally

of benjamin netanyahu pulling out of the government in opposition to what they said was this reckless ceasefire deal. anotherfar—right was this reckless ceasefire deal. another far—right party has said it would also leave the government if there is not a resumption of fighting after six weeks. when you talk to people here in hostages square, there are israelis who are anxious about the second phase in which moore israeli hostages are due to come back will ever take place —— whether it will ever take place —— more israeli hostages are due to come back. there is an enormous anxiety about that. people want to see an end to the war in gaza. the third stage of the three phase plan is supposed to see the reconstruction of the gaza strip. forthe reconstruction of the gaza strip. for the moment, that seems a long way off. we had president trump, who has wanted to be seen as somebody who was a key figure, taking credit for the fact that this ceasefire

really came into place on the eve of his inauguration. he had his own envoy to the middle east as an important person involved in negotiations to get that across the line. he has also said he is not confident that this will go to the full three stages.— that this will go to the full three stages. that this will go to the full three staues. , . , ., three stages. the pictures that ou can three stages. the pictures that you can see — three stages. the pictures that you can see on _ three stages. the pictures that you can see on your _ three stages. the pictures that you can see on your screen - three stages. the pictures that you can see on your screen arej you can see on your screen are from 0fer prison in israel, buses with palestinian detainees leaving israeli prisons. it is not clear enough to see whether they are on there but it looks like those bosses are leaving and we are expecting after the release of those four women soldiers earlier that the next part of the deal was that a group of around 200 palestinian prisoners would be released i