in the last few hours, 200 palestinian inmates have been released from israeli jails these are the live scenes as huge crowds come out to greet prisoners released in ramallah, in the west bank. four female israeli soldiers were released by hamas. this has been the second exchange under the gaza ceasefire deal. the four female soldiers have been reunited with their loved ones. they are now back in israel. they are undergoing health checks. iam here i am here where all day long in hostage square people have then absorbing the news.

these are live pictures from the scene in wadi gaza where palestinians were hoping to be able to cross into northern gaza. hello and welcome. four female israeli soldiers have been freed by hamas in the second hostage—prisoner swap of the gaza ceasefire deal. the israeli military said they've been reunited with their parents at a reception point in southern israel. gunmen and crowds gathered in palestine square in gaza city as the hostages were released to the red cross in a highly choreographed handover. the soldiers had been held since being abducted from an israeli border base at the start of the october the seventh attacks in 2023. a short time later, israel released these pictures showing them being received back by the military. they are now undergoing medical assessment. in exchange, israel has freed around 200 palestinian prisoners. hamas has told mediators that a female israeli civilian,

arbel yehud, held hostage in the gaza strip, will be released next week. israel has said she should have been freed today. it's cast some doubt on another of stage of the ceasefire. the israeli prime minister's office says that palestinian civilians won't be permitted to return to northern gaza until she is released. but the release of up to 200 palestinian prisoners went ahead as planned. two buses carrying detainees departed from two israel prisons. and in the last hour, reports from egypt say 70 palestinian prisoners have now arrived in egypt from where they'll travel on to neighbouring countries. in a moment, we'll be live with our correspondents across the region. but first, here's this report from our middle east correspondent, yolande knell. another show of force by hamas, its fighters lining up among the ruins in gaza city.

whistling and then, with the red cross ready and waiting, the first glimpse of the israeli soldiers after 15 months in captivity... ..in army uniforms. karina ariev, daniella gilboa, naama levy, all aged 20, and liri albag, now aged 19. all four apparently in good physical health. with foreign reporters currently unable to enter gaza, we're relying on footage filmed by local journalists. and among israelis watching in hostage square in tel aviv, there were cheers, as events in gaza's palestine square unfolded. the body language is positive. i must say, what seems at first sight a good appearance does not necessarily say what's going on inside, inside the body, inside the soul. among the crowd, many are still anxious. everywhere here, there are signs, reminders of the dozens of israelis

still held captive in gaza. it's not clear who's alive and who's dead. and there are worries, too, about whether this fragile ceasefire will hold to free them all. and now, israel is accusing hamas of breaching the terms of the ceasefire deal, as it's not released israeli women civilian hostages first. we are determined to return, to the return of arbel yehud, an israeli citizen, kidnapped an israeli citizen, kidnapped from nir oz. from nir oz. and also, shiri bibas and also, shiri bibas and her two children, and her two children, kfir and ariel, whose welfare kfir and ariel, whose welfare we are extremely we are extremely concerned about. concerned about. israel's promised release israel's promised release of some 200 palestinian of some 200 palestinian prisoners in exchange another very tense moment. prisoners in exchange for its hostages did for its hostages did begin as planned. begin as planned. the prime minister's office the prime minister's office is threatening to delay is threatening to delay a further pull—out of israeli a further pull—out of israeli troops from gaza. troops from gaza. with hundreds of displaced palestinians waiting with hundreds of displaced palestinians waiting for the green light to go back for the green light to go back to what's left of their homes to what's left of their homes

in the north, this is in the north, this is another very tense moment. 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 in the last hour, hagar mizrahi, head of the medical division at the israeli ministry of health, gave this update on the status of the four returned hostages. about one hour ago, the four captives arrived at the rabin medical centre. all of us awaited at the arrival excited and grateful to be able to

witness their return home. the preparation for receiving them as well as all of those returning including establishing a broad professional and sensitive medical and mental health framework. over the last year, we meticulously planned for the reception, treatment in the hospitals and the ongoing care at the community, drawing on lessons learned from previous events. today, we are meeting them after a77 days in hamas captivity.

let's cross to correspondent nick beake. good news but it must be an anxious time. it good news but it must be an anxious time.— anxious time. it certainly is. this is hostage _ anxious time. it certainly is. this is hostage square - anxious time. it certainly is. this is hostage square and i anxious time. it certainly is. l this is hostage square and for the last 15 months it has been a focal point for the friends and families of those taken by hamas on october seven. it is a place of wildly contrasting emotions at that time ranging from hope to despair. as far as people are concerned, today is a good day. earlier on there was huge applause and you could feel the relief as the four hostages were brought out. so for people here as you say, it is a moment ofjoy but also of course, there are 90 other hostages. about one third of them are thought to be dead and for the relatives it is a difficult time which continues, a dreadful time, as they await news of what will happen to their particular love ones. the

israeli government _ their particular love ones. the israeli government has accused hamas of beating the deal by not releasing a civilian hostage. but hamas says that thatis hostage. but hamas says that that is due to happen next week. what exactly was the ceasefire deal asking? and we get the answer here? certainly there are lots _ get the answer here? certainly there are lots of _ get the answer here? certainly there are lots of stipulations . there are lots of stipulations as part of the ceasefire deal which we know was months in the making. there are a lot of hurdles to overcome and eventually they got there. the ceasefire deal is holding a bait it is very fragile. the whole idea is that civilians are released before soldiers and that women are released before men. as part of this here in israel over the last week so there has been speculation that they would be a civilian released in this latest exchange. what happened last night is that hamas give the forenames of the women and their soldiers from the same unit. so at the israeli government has been saying

todayis government has been saying today is that yes, they allowed this to go ahead today but actually hamas had not been keeping the side of the bargain and as a consequence of that, the israeli government are saying they are going to stop of thousands of cousins in the southin of thousands of cousins in the south in the south of gaza are moving to the north —— thousands of gazans, stopping them from going home. so we are in a state of limbo at the moment and quite confusing because the israeli government has said they will give permission for gazans to move until there is a plan for this release of the civilian. at this moment, a thing it will happen next weekend but we don't whether further netanyahu don't whether further neta nyahu thatis don't whether further netanyahu that is enough for him. so we are in this holding phase at the moment on that. so still uncertainty _ the moment on that. so still uncertainty around - the moment on that. so still uncertainty around that. - the moment on that. so still uncertainty around that. if. the moment on that. so stilll uncertainty around that. if we return to the hostages who have then released today, we heard then released today, we heard the updates on the medical status from the ministry of health. what happens next in

the process be on their return and? ., , ., ., , and? certainly for the families and? certainly for the families and lots of _ and? certainly for the families and lots of people _ and? certainly for the families and lots of people in - and? certainly for the families and lots of people in this - and lots of people in this country today there is huge joy at the video that has emerged in the last hour of them reunited with their families after this horrific weight. we heard from some of the israeli officials about the psychological and medical testing how they will undergo in the days and even years to come. so that is the priority according to the israeli officials. these four women were all taken from the same place, a kibbutz across the border from gaza and place, a kibbutz across the borderfrom gaza and it place, a kibbutz across the border from gaza and it was overrun on october seven. it is significant in itself but also once again it does bring up some of the accusations levelled towards benjamin netanyahu in the government that not enough was done to protect those border communities on october seven.

specifically, the four women who were released today were part of a unit of seven women who are warning that there were suspicious signs in gaza. they were spiders, observers and they said a lot was going on. we heard that there warnings were ignored and sure enough... they arejoyful but were ignored and sure enough... they are joyful but they have memories of what happened that day —— they were observers and sponsors. as part of this first phase of this ceasefire deal in exchange, hamas is expected to release the condition of 26 hostages who are still to be freed in this first part of the deal. it is not clear whether hamas will say whether these people are alive or dead and match that status to the names of people. that is not clear at all. but i think this is the next thing to be watching out

for and from there we will see how this fragile ceasefire emerges in the coming days. nick in tel aviv. thank you. the extras alongside nick through that —— the pictures alongside nick are of newly released hostages being reunited with their families. those are some of the pictures of reunions with their families 15 months on from being taken hostage. a large number of palestinian prisoners have begun arriving in ramallah in the west bank. we were there as the west bank. we were there as the buses arrived. well, you can see the three prison buses behind me. about 20 minutes ago, those buses arrived and frankly, pretty chaotic scenes as the prisoners got off a very large crowd and we saw the prisoners in their grey prison fatigues, many of them with shaved heads, long beards, a lot of them

looking pretty thin. that has to be said. hoisted onto the shoulders, carried into the sports complex. behind me you can just see one now emerging there. a man in his a0s, i'd say, maybe his 50s, being carried out with a shaven head. and when they arrived, the scramble to get to their loved ones... i just saw one prisoner coming out on the shoulders, and what looked to be his young son was hoisted up and put into his arms. now, the big difference in this prisoner exchange this week compared to last week is the people released today, many of them had been convicted of much more serious offences, including murder killing israeli civilians. now, those convicted of the most serious offences, and i think there were 121 of the 200 serving life—sentences, they're going to be taken to egypt, as you say. they're there already, and they're going to be deported to countries including qatar and turkey. so the people here, and i think there's about 100 or so who've been brought here today, they will be allowed to return to their families, their homes in the west bank.

many of them have been in prison for years. and it's really a big moment for palestinians here. the prisoner issue is a massive one. most families in the west bank will have had a family member or a friend who's been held in israeli prison at some point. and, you know, these images today has to be said hamas will make hay from them because they'll say, look, we are the force that is getting our prisoners out. whoa reporting from ramallah in the occupied west bank. —— reporting from ramallah... as we've mentioned, 70 palestinian prisoners, including some of the most serious offenders, have been deported. they've now arrived in egypt before travelling on to other neighbouring countries. we can go to cairo now and speak to our gaza correspondent, rushdi abualouf. tell us about what we know about the justinian detainees who have been released today and what we know about those

who are set to be released in the next stages of the ceasefire —— the palestinian detainees. ceasefire -- the palestinian detainees-_ ceasefire -- the palestinian detainees. ~ ., , ., ., detainees. what they have done toda is detainees. what they have done today is that _ detainees. what they have done today is that 60 _ detainees. what they have done today is that 60 palestinians - today is that 60 palestinians arrived into gaza and on their way... they have run health ministry has set up facilities to check them —— the hamas run health ministry. some will go from rafah crossing into egypt and then go into turkey and qatar. as we speak ijust received a message from some of the... there is progress and hundreds and thousands of

palestinians are able to go to the north. right now... the road where people are supposed to work to the north and we had some gunfire in the last hour or so, warning some gunfire in the last hour orso, warning fire, but some gunfire in the last hour or so, warning fire, but it seems the egyptian and qatari mediators have been in constant negotiations with israeli and hamas and have achieved something relating to the issue. israelis have asked the mediators for proof of life from hamas for the civilian hostages that israel is demanding her release and it seems that hamas has given the egyptian proof of life for the hostages. what makes the egyptian hopeful that the israelis will allow hundreds of thousands of people to return back to the north. fin thousands of people to return back to the north.— back to the north. on that because — back to the north. on that because as _ back to the north. on that because as you _ back to the north. on that because as you say, - back to the north. on that because as you say, many back to the north. on that - because as you say, many hoping to cross through to northern

gaza but had been held back from doing so, we are seeing some live images now from wadi, you have said there is progress but you know when things may move in they will be able to proceed?— proceed? yes. things are developing _ proceed? yes. things are developing very - proceed? yes. things are developing very fast - proceed? yes. things are developing very fast and l proceed? yes. things are i developing very fast and we just heard in the last ten minutes but there is some progress. we don't know the exact time for people to progress. we don't know the exact time for people to return. since early in the return. since early in the morning people were queueing in morning people were queueing in the hundreds or in the the hundreds or in the thousands in the road and thousands in the road and others were queueing on another others were queueing on another road because the people who road because the people who were queueing on this road, the were queueing on this road, the coastal road, are only allowed coastal road, are only 1538 00:1 to walk in the area and the other area they were allowed to cross by cars. we understand that the egyptian technical team is in gaza and they are setting up... to