live from london, this is bbc news. four female israeli soldiers are released under the gaza ceasefire deal. the israeli military said they had been united with their parents at a reception point in southern israel. gunmen and crowds gathered at the palestine square —— at hostages square in palestine at a choreographed handover. the soldiers, aged 20 and i9, choreographed handover. the soldiers, aged 20 and 19, had been held since being abducted from an israeli border base during the october 7th attacks in 2023. a short time later, israel released these pictures are showing them being received back by the military. they are now undergoing medical assessment. in exchange, israel is freeing around 200

palestinian prisoners. high mass has told mediators that a female is —— a female is really civilian israeli civilian no is being released next saturday. the prime minister of israel's office have said people in gaza will not be allowed to return to the northern territory until she is released. we have seen buses leaving the prison carrying palestinian prisoners.

the traffic is never great but they are on their way here now from the prison. the crowd has really swelled. you have the black, white, green and red palestinian flags. these flags are from hamas�*s rival movement, aligned with the palestinian authority in the west bank, and quite a few ambulances because we just don't know the state of some of those prisoners. we are expecting those prisoners here. not all of them are coming here. around 70 of the 200 to be freed today are going to be deported via egypt to neighbouring countries such as qatar and turkey, the ones who have committed the most serious offences. the difference between the exchange last weekend and this one is that this time we have prisoners who have been convicted of much

more serious offences in israeli courts including multiple murders. i2i israeli courts including multiple murders. 121 of the 200 people being freed today have been serving life sentences. the longest serving prisoner has been injailfor 39 years, he was jailed back in 1986. the youngest prisoner just a 16—year—old boy. you just a 16-year-old boy. you mention — just a 16-year-old boy. you mention how _ just a 16-year-old boy. you mention how long - just a 16-year-old boy. you mention how long some - just a 16—year—old boy. you mention how long some of them have been held but among that list, some of them that have never been charged.- list, some of them that have never been charged. yes, fewer of those today _ never been charged. yes, fewer of those today but _ never been charged. yes, fewer of those today but in _ never been charged. yes, fewer of those today but in israel, - of those today but in israel, some palestinians can be detained without charge definitely so you could be in prison without ever being charged for security reasons according to israel. 0ften charged for security reasons according to israel. often that may be they don't want to release details of the case, to stop informants being revealed, but palestinians think that is

a huge injustice, it has been widely condemned by international human rights groups. today, there are fewer of those prisoners but some of them will never have been charged with an offence. 0thers convicted of attacks in which multiple israeli civilians were killed. , ., multiple israeli civilians were killed. , ,, killed. explain the process because we _ killed. explain the process because we are _ killed. explain the process because we are only - killed. explain the process because we are only in - killed. explain the processj because we are only in the first phase. how many palestinian prisoners are expected to be released over the first stage of the deal? during this first six week phase which has now been under way for a week, there will be a total of 1900 palestinian prisoners freed in exchange for 33 is really hostages, several of which have already been released over the past week. i cannot stress enough how big and important the issue of

prisoners is for palestinians. there are thousands held in israeli jails and almost every palestinian family in the west bank and jerusalem will have a family member who has spent time in an israeli prison so it's a big issue. as far as this first phase of the deal, 1900 palestinians are going to be released from jail and it will give hamas a further boost in the west bank. historically, hamas is less popular in the west bank but these images today where palestinian families are seen reuniting with their loved ones will give hamas a boost. in gaza, hamas's popularity has fallen since the war started 15 months ago. in the west bank it has grown and images like today will add to their prestige because they will say, look, we are the only ones getting our prisoners out of israeli jail. in partial

control in the west bank, they have done little to end israel's military occupation, in place since 1967. they have done little to increase economic prosperity and basically make people's lives better. here in the west bank, people feel, maybe hamas could do that better. in gaza it's a bit different because there will be plenty of people there who might not speak out because of fear of the repercussions. plenty of people in gaza say that hamas brought this on the people of gaza, they should have known what would happen when they launched the attack on october the 7th, and in the end, 117,000 people have been killed, probably more, hundreds of thousands displaced, and it has been a thoroughly miserable 15 months for people in gaza. there has been a major operation in the last week or so by the israeli forces. the

ast 15 so by the israeli forces. the past 15 months _ so by the israeli forces. the past 15 months in _ so by the israeli forces. the past 15 months in the - so by the israeli forces. tue: past 15 months in the west so by the israeli forces. tte: past 15 months in the west bank has seen the worst violence in decades. it has been overshadowed by what has been happening in gaza but there have been extensive military operations. the one you referred to up in the north of the west bank injenin, 13 palestinians at least killed in that operation. israelis have been bulldozing refugee camp, evacuating people from that refugee camp. and people here in the west bank feel that the last 15 months, people have got as bad as it has ever been. people who have lived their whole life under israeli military occupation say it has never been as bad as now. they feel they are being squeezed by an increase in israeli military checkpoints. in the last week, hundreds have been set up across the west bank, making it very difficult for people to move about, difficult for people to get home the families, difficult to have their business is functioning. the economy has been hammered in the past 15 months. i was in

bethlehem just before christmas which obviously relies on tourism. the businesses there were desperate, no christmas celebrations there this year, and they were haggling for any business they could possibly get. in the west bank, there is a lot of tension, a lot of fear, a lot of people fear that could be a war here, and the only people feeling emboldened at the moment in the west bank of the israeli settlers who feel that their agenda, which is settling and expanding in the west bank, that could get a boost from the new administration of president donald trump in the united states, who came in on monday. john, thank you for the moment, we will be straight back to you as soon as any of those buses get through the west bank traffic.

the rear admiral of the israeli army had this to say. 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. the israeli military also shared a recording of the families of the four hostages reacting to a livestream showing the hostages being returned to the the idf.

take a look. excited talking, cheering and applause you can see the joy on the faces of those families. the four hostages are now having medical checkups. joining me now are our gaza correspondent, rushdi abualouf, who's in cairo, and bbc world service middle east editor sebastian usher. sebastian, you could see the m sebastian, you could see the joy and relief on the faces of the family. these female soldiers are back home. yes, that's incredibly _ that's incredibly understandable, and the emotional connection has been between israeli people and all the hostages who were taken

there, —— theirfaces the hostages who were taken there, —— their faces greet you, theirfamily members you, their family members describing you, theirfamily members describing what they are late, these people who have disappeared for more than 15 months now and i think particularly when they are as young as the four hostages who were released today, israelis see beyond their uniform, they see beyond their uniform, they see them just as young women who were taken against their will and put through an incredibly difficult time this past 15 months. thatjoy is shared, thejoy past 15 months. thatjoy is shared, the joy you are seeing from the family, it is shared by all israelis, even by the far right ministers who essentially opposed to the ceasefire deal and want the second phase perhaps not to go ahead, for israel to continue its offensive against hamas. even they have issued last week there joy at the release of the

hostages and there will be a similar feeling this time. it is uniting israel which underneath remains a divided country, particularly in relation to the hostages with the government under benjamin netanyahu saying time and time again that the eradication of hamas was the absolute key priority while tens of thousands of people took to the streets week after week saying that no, it should be the human lives, hostages who were taken, that should be the priority and that should be the priority and that the deal that was finally agreed just over a week ago should have been agreed long before and that potentially more hostages would now be alive and in a position of being released over the next few weeks. being released over the next few weeks— being released over the next few weeks. ., ., few weeks. you mentioned the ressure few weeks. you mentioned the pressure that _ few weeks. you mentioned the pressure that benjamin - pressure that benjamin netanyahu is underfrom pressure that benjamin netanyahu is under from the right—wing politicians and the pictures that we have seen and can see on our screen at the moment today of this highly

choreographed handover. there were a lot of hamas fighters in those pictures from palestine square in kansas city —— in gaza city. square in kansas city -- in gaza city-— gaza city. this was very organised. _ 1533 00:13:17,837 --> 00:13