Israel-Palestine latest news: Freed Hamas hostages arrive at hospital

The freed Israeli hostages captured by Hamas have arrived at hospitals where they will be reunited with their families, according to the Israeli military.

Twenty-four hostages, including women and children, were released on Friday as part of a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas.

The hostages were transferred out of Gaza and handed over to Egyptian authorities at the Rafah border crossing before undergoing a medical assessment inside Israeli territory.

Corinne Moshe, daughter-in-law of 72-year-old Adina Moshe, said her husband and his siblings were waiting at a hospital to be reunited with their mother.

“I miss her very, very much, I want her to be back already. I want to have dinner with her and the entire family again,” she said.

Thirty-nine Palestinian women and teenagers were also freed from Israeli jails as part of the agreement.

11:12 PM GMT

Today's top stories

That’s it for today’s blog. Please join us again tomorrow. Here is a rundown of the main stories:

• Hamas released 24 hostages including Israeli women and children and Thai farm workers who were kidnapped on October 7

• Four children, three mothers and a grandmother have been received at Israel’s Schneider medical centre after being released by Hamas earlier on Friday

• Details of another hostage exchange are expected to be released in the coming hours, Joe Biden said on Friday evening

• A total of 28 Palestinian prisoners were released in the occupied West Bank, an AFP correspondent saw, while the other 11 were on their way to annexed east Jerusalem.

• Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Friday appeared to discredit the moribund Israel-Palestinian peace process and instead called on the international community to recognise the Palestinian state

• Joe Biden said Friday’s release of a first group of hostages taken by Hamas was just a “start” and that there were “real” chances to extend a temporary truce in Gaza

• Spain’s foreign ministry called in the Israeli ambassador to explain her government’s “false and unacceptable” allegations against the Spanish prime minister

• The World Health Organization voiced concern over the fate of the head of Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital, whom Israeli forces detained over the facility’s alleged use by Hamas

• A single mother who pleaded with Benjamin Netanyahu to “free all of us” in a Hamas hostage video was among those released by the terror group on Friday.

10:45 PM GMT

Joy and defiance as Israel frees Palestinian prisoners

Firecrackers lit up the night sky on Friday as raucous celebrations - mixed with defiance - marked the release of Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons in exchange for the first wave of hostages freed by Hamas in Gaza.

Crowds across the West Bank cheered and waved Palestinian and Hamas flags, along with kaffiyeh scarves after two white coaches - escorted by armoured vehicles - exited the Ofer military camp with the prisoners.

“I am happy but my liberation came at the price of the blood of the martyrs,” said Marah Bakir, 24, referring to the nearly 15,000 deaths across the Gaza Strip that its Hamas-led government says were caused by Israel’s military offensive.

“I spent the end of my childhood and my adolescence in prison, far from my parents and their hugs,” she told AFP after returning to her family home in Beit Hanina in annexed east Jerusalem.

“That’s how it is with a state that oppresses us.”

10:36 PM GMT

David Cameron warns Israeli security depends on Palestinian security also

Lord Cameron warned that Israel’s security depends on ensuring that Palestinian people, too, can live in safety and security.

In an interview with the BBC, the new foreign secretary said civilian casualties in Gaza were too high and that Israeli forces must abide by humanitarian law.

He also condemned as “completely unacceptable” violence by settlers in the occupied West Bank.

“[Israel] must act in a way that delivers its long-term security,” Lord Cameron said, which would ultimately depend on “Palestinians living in peace and stability and security in this land at the same time”

10:16 PM GMT

WHO voices concern over fate of Gaza hospital chief

The World Health Organization voiced concern over the fate of the head of Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital, whom Israeli forces detained over the facility’s alleged use by Hamas.

In a statement the WHO said that the head of the biggest hospital in the besieged Palestinian territory had been arrested on Wednesday along with five other health workers, while they were taking part in a UN mission to evacuate patients.

“Three medical personnel from the Palestine Red Crescent Society and three from the Ministry of Health were detained,” the WHO said.

Since then two of the six have reportedly been released, but “we do not have information about the well-being of the four remaining health staff, including the director of Al-Shifa hospital,” the statement added.

09:58 PM GMT

Eight hostages including four children have arrived at Israel’s Schneider medical centre

Four children, three mothers and a grandmother have been received at Israel’s Schneider medical centre after being released by Hamas earlier on Friday.

“Their physical condition is good and they are currently undergoing medical and emotional assessment by the medical and psychological team here at Schneider’s,” said Efrat Bron-Harlev, CEO of the medical centre in Petah Tikva.

09:42 PM GMT

UPDATED: Spain hits back after Israeli foreign minister accuses Pedro Sanchez of supporting 'terrorism'

Spain’s foreign ministry called in the Israeli ambassador to explain her government’s “false and unacceptable” allegations against the Spanish prime minister.

Israel’s foreign minister accused the leaders of Spain and the Netherlands of supporting “terrorism” after they denounced Israel’s relentless bombardment of the Gaza strip.

Visiting the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Friday, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the Israeli “operation needs to respect international humanitarian law” and denounced the destruction in the Gaza Strip as “unacceptable”.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez echoed his views, saying the “indiscriminate killings of innocent civilians” in the Palestinian territory was “completely unacceptable”.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told public television he had called in the Israeli ambassador to lodge a formal protest against the Israeli government’s allegations.

09:25 PM GMT

Pictured: Palestinians cheer after being released from Israel's Ofer military facility in a swap for Hamas hostages

09:05 PM GMT

Great-grandmothers and two-year-old girl among 24 hostages released by Hamas

Great-grandmothers and a two-year-old child were among the 24 hostages released by Hamas on Friday in the first wave of a multi-day deal, writes Susie Coen.

Their release is part of a high-stakes agreement to free those kidnapped on Oct 7 by the terror group in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

The first of the hostages to be freed by Hamas after 49 days in captivity included 13 Israelis - including four children - as well as 10 Thai nationals and one Filipino.

More hostages are expected to be released in the coming days as part of a deal, which includes a temporary ceasefire.

Read the full story

08:39 PM GMT

Relief and sadness for Palestinian prisoners freed in Gaza hostage deal

For the families of Palestinian detainees freed by Israel under a hostage deal agreed with the Islamist group Hamas, Friday brought relief tinged with sadness at the fighting that is set to continue in Gaza after the expiry of a four-day truce, Reuters reports.

Thirty nine Palestinian women and minors detained on various charges were freed under an accord brokered by Qatar that also saw the release of 13 Israeli hostages seized by Hamas gunmen during their assault on Israel last month.

“There is no real joy, even this little joy we feel as we wait,” said Sawsan Bkeer, the mother of 24-year-old Palestinian prisoner Marah Bkeer, jailed for eight years on knife and assault charges in 2015. Israeli police were seen raiding her Jerusalem home before her daughter was released.

“We are still afraid to feel happy and at the same time, we do not have it in us to be happy due to what is happening in Gaza,” she said.

More than 100 more Palestinian prisoners are due to be released over the coming four days and more may be freed if the truce is extended.

08:23 PM GMT

Watch: Children cheer as Hamas fighters release hostages earlier on Friday

08:19 PM GMT

Macron says determined to secure release of French hostages in Gaza

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Hamas freeing a first group of hostages, assuring the families of French captives held in war-torn Gaza of his “determination” to secure their release.

No French nationals were among the first group released on Friday under an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement that rules Gaza.

“I welcome the release of the first group of hostages... Special thoughts for the French hostages and their families. They can count on our determination,” Macron said on X, formerly Twitter.

08:03 PM GMT

People gather to welcome arrival of hostages in Petah Tikva

By late Friday afternoon, well-wishers had started to arrive at the helipad near the Schneider Children’s Hospital in Petah Tikva outside Tel Aviv, hoping to see the helicopters land with the hostages, writes Nataliya Vasilyeva.

Haim and Shelly Baranis stood by the fence with two Israeli flags.

The couple live not far from the hospital and remember hearing helicopters landing one after another on Oct 7 as medical teams brought in injured people from the south of Israel.

“We’re going to have helicopters today, too, but at least it’s for something good,” Shelly Baranis told the Telegraph.

As with so many Israelis, the tragedy hit close to home.

“We have kids of the same age. One of our neighbours’ daughter was murdered at the (rave) party,” Haim Baranis said.

“It’s a small country. Everyone knows someone whose family members were killed or kidnapped.”

07:54 PM GMT

Biden says Gaza hostages release 'only a start'

Joe Biden said Friday’s release of a first group of hostages taken by Hamas was just a “start” and that there were “real” chances to extend a temporary truce in Gaza.

Speaking to reporters in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he was spending the Thanksgiving holiday with his family, Mr Biden also said it was time to “renew” work on creating two-state solution for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

07:51 PM GMT

Here's a look at the first hostages released by Hamas on Friday

07:30 PM GMT

Hamas struck to scupper Israel-Saudi ties, says Biden

Hamas struck when it did to spoil US plans to work with Israel and Saudi Arabia to reach a normalisation of ties, said Biden

07:27 PM GMT

No details on when first American hostage will be released

Mr Biden said he doesn’t know when the first American hostage will be released.

07:24 PM GMT

Two state solution more important now than ever, says Biden.

“We need two states for two peoples,” said Biden in reference to the two state solution to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict.

07:20 PM GMT

US instrumental in hostage deal, says Joe Biden

Joe Biden said he pressed for a pause in the fighting in Gaza to secure the release of hostage.

The US president is speaking now in a press conference.

07:04 PM GMT

UN says 137 aid trucks unloaded in Gaza since truce started

A total of 137 trucks carrying food, water, medicine and other essentials have been unloaded in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas truce began Friday, the United Nations said.

This was the biggest humanitarian convoy to enter Gaza since the war started on October 7, the UN office for humanitarian affairs said in a statement.

It said 129,000 litres of fuel also entered the Palestinian territory, and 21 patients in critical condition were evacuated from the north of Gaza.

“Hundreds of thousands of people were assisted with food, water, medical supplies and other essential humanitarian items,” the agency said in a statement.

06:49 PM GMT

392 IDF members killed since October 7

The Israeli army has suffered 392 fatalities since fighting broke out with Hamas on October 7, said Mr Hagari.

“They were killed in action in the battlefield defending Israel,” said Mr Hagari.

“It is thanks to their action on the battlefield that we will win.”

06:35 PM GMT

Hamas has lost control of northern Gaza, says Israel

Hamas has lost control of the north of Gaza, says IDF spokesman, Daniel Hagari.

“We’ve reached all of their military assets,” said Mr Hagari during a press conference.

06:33 PM GMT

IDF preparing for next stage in war

The Israel Defence Forces are preparing for the next stage of the war in order to dismantle Hamas, said Daniel Hagari, IDF spokesman.

06:11 PM GMT

Netanyahu says Israel 'committed to the return of all our abductees'

Israel was “committed to the return of all our abductees”, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after a first group of hostages seized in Hamas attacks were freed under a truce agreement.

“This is one of the goals of the war, and we are committed to achieving all the goals of the war,” he said in a statement.

06:04 PM GMT

Further details on Israel saying it would summon Belgian and Spanish ambassadors

The Israeli government said on Friday it would summon the Belgian and Spanish ambassadors following remarks by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his Belgian counterpart Alexander de Croo on the war between Israel and Hamas.

The announcement came after the two leaders criticised Israel for the suffering of Palestinian civilians under Israeli military operations in Gaza. Sánchez also called for European Union recognition of a Palestinian state, saying Spain might do so on its own.

Speaking at a joint press conference at the Rafah border crossing in Gaza on Friday, Mr Sanchez said the time had come for the international community and the European Union to once and for all recognize a Palestinian state. He said it would be better if the EU did it together, “but if this is not the case … Spain will take their own decisions.”

Mr Sanchez was speaking at the end of a two-day visit to Israel, the Palestinian territories and Egypt with Mr de Croo. Spain currently holds the EU’s rotational presidency and Belgium takes over in January.

05:53 PM GMT

39 released from prison by Israel under truce agreement

A total of 28 prisoners were released in the occupied West Bank, an AFP correspondent saw, while the other 11 were on their way to annexed east Jerusalem.

It followed word from a Palestinian NGO that 39 prisoners had been released by Israeli authorities.

05:42 PM GMT

Mother who implored Netanyahu to 'free all of us' was among those released

A single mother who pleaded with Benjamin Netanyahu to “free all of us” in a Hamas hostage video was among those released by the terror group on Friday.

Danielle Aloni, 44, was kidnapped with her five-year-old daughter Emelia Aloni when she was visiting her twin sister in Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October.

While they had initially been hiding in the bomb shelter, when the terrorists set fire to her sister’s home they were forced to flee.

Ms Aloni’s sister Sharon Cunio, her husband David and their twin daughters, Emma and Julia, aged three, were also snatched by the terror group.

Ms Aloni’s family had not had any confirmation they were alive until Hamas shared a hostage video in which she was seen sitting on plastic chairs with two other hostages.

In the 76-clip, she addressed Mr Netanyahu directly and pleaded for an exchange with Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

During the video, for which she was likely being instructed on what to say, she said: “Let their citizens go, let their prisoners go. Free us. Free all of us. Let us return to our families now.”

At the end she screamed “now” several times.

05:34 PM GMT

Freed child hostage turned 9 years old in Hamas captivity

One of the Israeli child hostages who was freed on Friday celebrated his 9th birthday while in Hamas captivity in Gaza.

Ohad Munder was kidnapped along with his mother Keren and grandparents, Ruthi and Avraham, on October 7, Israel’s National News website reported.

Ohad, Ruthi and Keren were among the 13 hostages freed on Friday.

The family were taken by Hamas after Keren sent a message to her partner Avi at 7.24am saying that she had heard gunshots in the Kibbutz.

05:20 PM GMT

Red Cross says hostage release offers 'tremendous relief'

05:14 PM GMT

Young sisters and mother abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz freed in hostage deal

Two of the youngest hostages held by Hamas have been released along with their mother.

Sisters Raz Katz Asher, 4, Aviv, 2, and their mother, Doron, were kidnapped from the Nir Oz kibbutz on October 7.

The children’s father, Yoni, said his wife and daughters had been visiting their grandmother during the festival of Sukkot.

Mr Asher had stayed home, in central Israel, for work.

The kibbutz sits just two miles from Gaza, and was one of the communities worst affected by Hamas’s terror attack.

One in four of those who lived there are thought to have been killed or kidnapped by the terror group.

05:12 PM GMT

Israel army says freed hostages 'inside Israeli territory'

The Israeli army says the first hostages released from the Gaza Strip are now back on Israeli territory where they would undergo medical checks before being reunited with their families.

“The released hostages underwent an initial medical assessment inside Israeli territory,” the military said in a statement, adding they would be accompanied by “soldiers as they make their way to Israeli hospitals, where they will be reunited with their families.”

05:06 PM GMT

UPDATED: All 13 Israeli hostages released by Hamas have been named as:

Hannah Katzir
Margalit Mozes
Yafa Ader
Hannah Perry
Adina Moshe
Danielle Aloni and Emilia Aloni
Ruthi Mondar, Keren Mondar and Ohad Mondar
Raz Katz Asher, Aviv Katz Asher and their mother, Doron

05:03 PM GMT

Here is a clearer photo of one of the hostages released by Hamas, after arriving in Egypt

04:56 PM GMT

39 women and children to be released from Israeli prisons

Qatar’s foreign ministry has confirmed the release of 39 women and children from Israeli jails as part of the truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, Reuters reports.

04:51 PM GMT

Watch: Red Cross vans transporting hostages to Egypt

04:49 PM GMT

Hostages en route to Hatzerim Airbase

Hostages are on board a white bus heading to the Hatzerim Airbase in the Negev desert where they will meet the IDF.

04:46 PM GMT

In case you are only just joining us, here is a recap of today's main news - the release of 24 hostages

Hamas fighters released 24 hostages on Friday during the first day of the war’s first truce, the Red Cross said, including Israeli women and children and Thai farm workers.

Nine hours after guns fell silent for the first time in seven weeks, the International Red Cross said it had begun an operation to facilitate the transfer of hostages in Gaza to Israel in return for Palestinians held in Israeli jails. It later said 24 hostages had been freed in Gaza.

“The deep pain that family members separated from their loved ones feel is indescribable. We are relieved that some will be reunited after long agony,” said Fabrizio Carboni, the International Committee of the Red Cross’s regional director for the Near and Middle East.

Israeli media reported that 13 women and children had been handed over to the Red Cross and to an Egyptian security team assisting their release. The Israeli government and Hamas did not immediately confirm this.

In addition to the Israeli women and children due to be released on the first day of the four-day truce, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said in a social media post that a separate group of 12 Thai workers had been freed.

A source briefed on the negotiations said the release of the Thais, who were all men, was unrelated to the truce negotiations and followed a separate track of talks with Hamas mediated by Egypt and Qatar. Thai farmworkers employed in southern Israel were among around 240 hostages dragged back to Gaza by gunmen when Hamas fighters launched a killing spree on Oct. 7.

04:42 PM GMT

Pictured: Hostages held by Hamas can be seen being transferred to a bus after medical checks

04:39 PM GMT

Hostages board bus after undering preliminary medical checks

Small children and other freed hostages can be seen being transferred onto a bus after undergoing a preliminery medical check.

04:34 PM GMT

Watch: Red Cross vehicles carrying freed hostages across the Rafah border crossing

04:27 PM GMT

Freed hostage waves from van

A young girl was seen in the back of one of the Red Cross vans waving as she and other hostages, including a number of elderly women, were being transported out of southern Gaza.

04:20 PM GMT

Israel to invite Spanish and Dutch PM for 'harsh rebuke'

Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen said the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium will be “invited to a harsh rebuke” after the pair criticised Israel’s military response to the Oct 7 attacks.

The Netherlands’ Alexander De Croo and Spain’s Pedro Sánchez were earlier at the Rafah crossing where they called for a permanent ceasefire.

04:11 PM GMT

Pictured: A Red Cross vehicle believed to be carrying hostages arrives at the Rafah border

03:55 PM GMT

13 Israeli hostages handed to Israeli forces

Israeli security source says 13 Israeli hostages handed to Israeli forces

03:43 PM GMT

Israeli TV channels reporting hostages have been transferred to Egyptian officials

Israeli television channels have corroborated online reports that thirteen Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip have been handed over to officials from Egypt and the Red Cross.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli government.

03:40 PM GMT

Pictured: People in Tel Aviv rejoice at news of hostages being released

03:36 PM GMT

Thai hostages have entered Israel via the Rafah Border Crossing

The Thai hostages have entered Israel via the Rafah Border Crossing, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and are being transferred to Hatzerim Air Force Base before they are taken to a hospital.

“At this time, the gender and names of these Thais are not known. The 12 Thais will be taken to Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh), where they will be met by Embassy officials. They are required to be under medical supervision for a period of 48 hours, without access to outsiders.

“The MFA sends its heartfelt congratulations to these 12 Thai nationals and their families, and will do all possible to expedite their return to Thailand. The Royal Thai Government expresses its thanks to all from whom it sought assistance in securing the release of these first hostages, namely the Governments of Qatar, Israel, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, and the ICRC.

“It is our deep hope that all remaining hostages will be taken care of, and will be safely released at the earliest opportunity.”

03:32 PM GMT

Schneider medical centre awaiting freed children

Israel’s Schneider medical centre is one of several facilities where the children who have been held freed by Hamas will be taken, Sky News reported, adding that its journalists had seen toys being set up in preparation for their arrival.

03:27 PM GMT

Israeli hostages have arrived in Egypt, local media reports

Several Israeli media outlets are reporting that the hostages have arrived in Egypt having left Gaza via the Rafah Crossing.

Those freed are expected to be taken into Israel through the Nitzana border crossing before being flown to the Hatzerim Air Base, in the country’s south.

03:25 PM GMT

Thai hostages not covered by truce deal

The Thai hostages that have been released are all men and are not covered by the truce hostage deal, which relates to women and children, a source has told Reuters.

03:20 PM GMT

Source close to Hamas confirms some Thai hostages freed

A source close to Hamas confirmed some Thai hostages held in the Gaza Strip had been freed on Friday, in addition to hostages released under a ceasefire deal with Israel.

“Hamas made a gesture to also release some Thai foreigners,” the source close to the Islamist movement told AFP, after Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said 12 Thai hostages were released, in a post on X.

02:59 PM GMT

Israeli PM confirms 13 hostages released

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that 13 hostages have been released by Hamas.

02:52 PM GMT

Inside the IDF helicopter that will transfer hostages

An Israeli Defence Forces helicopter will transfer the hostages from Egypt to Israel.

02:47 PM GMT

Current ceasefire in Gaza not enough, Spain says

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said during a visit to Rafah border crossing in Egypt that the current ceasefire in Gaza is not enough and that a permanent ceasefire was needed.

02:38 PM GMT

Egypt's Sisi calls for recognition of Palestinian state

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Friday appeared to discredit the moribund Israel-Palestinian peace process and instead called on the international community to recognise the Palestinian state.

During a joint news conference with the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium in Cairo, Sisi said reviving the process aimed at ending the Israel-Palestinian conflict “may not be what is required”.

“The results of this path faltering for 30 years tells us that we must” adopt a different approach, he said.

This would entail “the recognition of the Palestinian state by the international community and bringing it into the United Nations... This would show seriousness,” Sisi added.

He pointed to the high civilian death toll in successive Gaza conflicts, saying the wars erupted because the “political horizons for resolving the Palestinian cause always failed” to fulfil the Palestinians’ aspirations.

02:27 PM GMT

Families and friends gather in Tel Aviv

Several hundred people including families and friends of the hostages captured by Hamas gathered on a central square in Tel Aviv on Friday afternoon just as the first group of hostages was to cross into Egypt, reports Nataliya Vasilyeva, Jerusalem correspondent.

Well-wishes milled around, holding posters depicting the hostages and yellow ribbons that became the symbol of Israelis’ support for the hostages.

The family of Amit Soussana from the frontier kibbutz of Kfar Aza got a call from the authorities the night before saying the 40-year-old lawyer was not on the list to be released.

“It’s a torture - and it’s going to be like this every day now,” Ms Soussana’s sister told the Telegraph as she sat with her mother and another sister on the side of the square, holding posters with the photograph of Amit.

The young woman’s mother said all she had to do was hope that her daughter’s release was imminent.

“We hope she will be in the next group,” Mira Soussana said.

02:19 PM GMT

Ambulances stand by for hostages

02:12 PM GMT

Thai hostages released

Twelve Thai hostages have been released by Hamas and are now in Egypt.

The Thai prime minister Srettha Thavisin posted on social media:

02:11 PM GMT

Watch: Israeli tanks leave Gaza

02:04 PM GMT

Egyptian authorities preparing for hostages

Diaa Rashwan, Chairman of the Egyptian State Information Service, has said that the Egyptian authorities are now preparing at the Rafah crossing to receive detainees released from Hamas.

Rashwan said that Cairo had received lists of captives and detainees from both the Israeli and Palestinian sides in preparation for an exchange of prisoners.

02:03 PM GMT

12 Thai hostages set to be released

Alongside the 13 Israeli hostages expected to be released today are a further 12 Thai citizens.

Egypt’s government announced that it had successfully negotiated the release earlier today.

Thailand believes that 24 of its citizens were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7.

01:55 PM GMT

How Israeli troops will handle child hostages

Israeli troops have been told not to tell children freed by Hamas about their killed or kidnapped parents if they ask upon release today.

Instead, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have instructions to reassure those freed by Hamas.

“Children will ask questions such as, ‘Where’s mum? Where’s daddy?’ Soldiers should not answer these questions, even if they know the answers,” advice issued by Israel’s Welfare and Social Affairs Ministry said.

“Any questions should be answered along the lines of ‘sweetheart, I’m sorry, I don’t know. My job is to bring you to Israel to a safe place, where people you know will be waiting for you and will answer all your questions,’” it added.

Read more about how Israeli troops have been told to handle child hostages here.

01:52 PM GMT

Hostage release expected at 2pm

At 2pm we are expecting the first batch of Israeli hostages to be released by Hamas. You can watch live via the video at the top of this page.

A number of Palestinian prisoners will be released by Israel as part of the exchange.

01:50 PM GMT

Gaza truce is a short pause, says Israeli defence minister

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Friday that a truce under way with Hamas in Gaza was a “short pause”, after which Israel would resume operating with full military force.

Gallant made the remarks to his Italian counterpart who was on a visit to Tel Aviv, according to his office. He spoke as Israel prepared to receive 13 hostages set to be freed from Gaza, in return for the release of 39 Palestinian prisoners.

“There will be a short pause and then we will continue operating with full military power. We will not stop until we achieve our goals: the destruction of Hamas and bringing home the hostages from Gaza to Israel – there are 240 hostages and it is something we cannot accept and cannot tolerate,” Gallant said.

01:36 PM GMT

Watch: Aid trucks cross into Gaza from Egypt

01:23 PM GMT

Americans not expected to be among initial group of hostages

American citizens are not expected to be among the group of 13 hostages set to be released today, according to a US official.

The official told CNN that they “remain hopeful” that there will be Americans among the initial 50 hostages who will be released over the coming days.

01:07 PM GMT

Hamas chief committed to truce and hostage deal 'if Israel is too'

Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, said on Friday in a recording that the group is committed to the truce and hostage swap deal as long as Israel is committed as well.

12:57 PM GMT

UN agencies hope truce will allow aid

UN agencies voiced hope that a ceasefire would allow aid to flow to northern Gaza for the first time in weeks.

Aid agencies have said they are aiming to deliver supplies to northern part of the Palestinian enclave where hospitals have collapsed due to bombings and lack of fuel and where there are major concerns about deyhydration and disease outbreaks.

“The United Nations can confirm that as I speak trucks with humanitarian supplies continues to cross into Gaza through the Rafah crossing point,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Asked whether the United Nations had guarantees from Israel that it could deliver aid to the north, Laerke said: “We proceed on the basis of the hope and the expectation that we will reach people in need, where they are.”

12:46 PM GMT

Supplies ready for child hostages

Supplies have been prepared for the hostages due to be released today, including toys for children and noise cancelling headphones.

12:32 PM GMT

UK doubles humanitarian aid to Gaza

The UK will double its humanitarian aid to Gaza with a further £30 million (EUR34.5 million) for Palestinian civilians affected by the conflict between Israel and Hamas, foreign minister David Cameron said Friday.

Lord Cameron met Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday and is due to hold discussions with Palestinian officials on Friday, for talks on how UK efforts can help alleviate the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, his office said.

“I can announce new £30 million of funding which will be spent on vital aid such as shelter and medical provisions,” Lord Cameron said in a statement.

“It is vital to protect civilians from harm, and we are urgently looking at all avenues to get aid into Gaza, including land, maritime and air routes.”

Lord Cameron will also discuss supporting the Palestinian Authority, “including through training and capacity building” and look towards a long-term political solution to the crisis.

11:57 AM GMT

Palestinian politician hopes for 'complete exchange' of Palestinian prisoners

A leading Palestinian politician has said that the release of some Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails is “promising” as it could “open the road for a complete exchange of prisoners.

Mustafa Barghouti, secretary general of the Palestinian National Initiative, told Al Jazeera:

11:47 AM GMT

Israeli leaflets warn Gazans against returning home

Leaflets have been dropped in Rafah in southern Gaza, warning that the war is not over yet. The leaflet calls northern Gaza a combat zone.

It says: ‘To the residents of the Gaza Strip, the war didn’t end yet, the humanitarian pause is temporary, and the northern region of Gaza is a war zone.”

11:24 AM GMT

WHO 'Extremely concerned' about those left in Al Shifa Hospital

A World Health Organization spokesperson said on Friday that it was working on further evacuations from northern Gaza hospitals as soon as possible as a truce gets underway, voicing fears for the safety of those remaining in Al Shifa Hospital.

“We’re extremely concerned about the safety of the estimated 100 patients and health workers remaining at Al Shifa,” said WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier.

He declined to react to comments from the Gaza health ministry saying it was suspending cooperation with the global health agency amid reports that Israel is holding medical staff for questioning.

11:06 AM GMT

Gaza war increases risk of Islamist attacks in Europe, security officials say

European security officials are seeing a growing risk of attacks by Islamists radicalised by the Israel-Hamas war, with the biggest threat likely to come from “lone wolf” assailants who are hard to track.

More than 10 intelligence and police officials in five European countries including Britain, Germany and France told Reuters they are increasing surveillance of Islamist militants.

This will put a further burden on resources already stretched by dealing with perceived threats from Russia, China and Iran, in what London police chief Mark Rowley calls “one of the most challenging convergence of threats I have ever seen.”

A British security official said the war in Gaza was likely to become the biggest recruiter for Islamist militants since the Iraq war in 2003, and that calls for attacks on Jewish and Western targets had risen in Europe.

A German source briefed by intelligence services said the threat to civilians was the highest in Germany’s recent history, with dangers coming from Islamist militants, far-right groups and Russia.

Two Islamist militant attacks in France and Belgium last month killed three people, and these two countries, Austria, Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina have raised their terrorism threat alert levels. Italy has reimposed border controls with Slovenia, citing the risk of militants entering the country.

10:50 AM GMT

Pictured: Gaza during ceasefire

10:38 AM GMT

Children being 'used as pawns'

Children are being used as the “pawns of adult geopolitics”, Save the Children have said.

The charity said that it is “deeply concerning” that children are being used in a political exchange.

“The issues of children in Israeli military prisons is a longstanding human rights concern,” James Denselow from Save the Children UK told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“We know that a large number of the children are boys. We know that many of the issues they’re being detained for are around stone-throwing, damaged property and vandalism.

“But obviously it’s deeply concerning that child rights become the pawns of the geopolitics of adults, when you’re seeing child hostages being swapped for child detainees.”

10:25 AM GMT

Israel has 'no trust' in Hamas

The deputy mayor of Jerusalem has said that there is “no trust” in Hamas, describing the group as a barbaric terrorist organisation” as she expressed her hope for the return of hostages.

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum told Sky News that the Israeli government had faced a “Sophie’s choice” when deciding upon the terms of the hostage deal.

“Essentially, we could get the children and the women that we could get out right now, or we could wait and try and get more hostages out in the future,” she said.

“The government decided that we wanted to save as many people as we could right now.

“We have a moral responsibility to those innocent civilians that were snatched from their beds, whose parents were killed in front of them.”

10:11 AM GMT

Pause in fighting is 'first step', PM says

Rishi Sunak said the pause in fighting in the Israel-Hamas conflict is “the first step” towards seeing all hostages released.

The Prime Minister was asked whether the temporary ceasefire should be made permanent during a visit to Nissan’s Sunderland plant on Friday.

Mr Sunak told broadcasters: “We’ve consistently pushed for sustained humanitarian pauses so that we could get more aid into Gaza and get hostages out, so this is a very welcome development.

“It’s obviously the first step. We need to make sure everyone abides by the terms of the agreement and we want to see all hostages released, including protecting the safety of British nationals that are involved.

“I’m grateful to Qatar for the role that they’ve played. We’re continuing to work with all our partners in the region, whether that’s America, Israel and Egypt and others to make sure that this deal sticks and we can continue to do what we want to support everyone in Gaza, get more aid in and to ensure the safety and release of all hostages.

“So it’s a very welcome step, something that we’ve been pushing hard for and working with partners on, so I’m glad that this has come to fruition.”

09:42 AM GMT

Ambulances head to Ahli Baptist hospital

Ten ambulances are heading towards Ahli Baptist hospital in Gaza City to help evacuate patients, according to the  Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

The crews are travelling from Khan Younis in southern Gaza and are accompanied by the United Nation.

An explosion caused casualties at the hospital on October 17.

Israel said the blast was caused by a misfired Hamas rocket, while Hamas claimed it was caused by an Israeli airstrike.

09:27 AM GMT

In pictures: Israeli forces leave Gaza

09:11 AM GMT

France's top diplomat in Beijing for talks on Middle East

France’s top diplomat Catherine Colonna met Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Friday, as part of a short visit focused on the Israel-Hamas war as well as deepening exchanges between the two countries.

Colonna’s talks in Beijing come the same day that a truce between Israel and Hamas took effect.

“For us, all the hostages must be released. All, and not just 50,” Colonna said during a briefing with French journalists.

Paris has said that the conflict in the Middle East will be high on the agenda for Colonna and her Chinese counterparts.

“China is an actor with growing weight in the region” due to its “strong relationship” with Iran, a French diplomatic source said this week.

“The first thing we expect from China in this conflict is to join its efforts with ours to ensure that we avoid any regional escalation,” they added.

08:51 AM GMT

24 women and 15 teenagers to be freed from Israeli jails

Israel will on Friday release 39 Palestinians prisoners, among them 24 women and 15 teenaged males, in the occupied West Bank in exchange for 13 hostages due to be freed from the Gaza Strip by Hamas, a Palestinian official said.

08:37 AM GMT

Aid enters from Egypt

Egypt expects 250 trucks to enter Gaza from the Rafah crossing today.

Officials have confirmed that the flow of aid has begun.

Palestinians are facing severe shortages of food, water, medicine and electricity.

During the cease-fire Israel has agreed to allow the delivery of 130,000 litres (34,342 gallons) of fuel per day, roughly double what it has previously permitted but still only a small portion of Gaza’s estimated daily needs of more than 1 million litres.

08:26 AM GMT

British daughter of kidnapped man speaks out

The British daughter of a man who was kidnapped from Israel and taken to Gaza has said her father would be “fighting to be at the back of the queue” of hostages to be released by Hamas.

Sharone Lifschitz told BBC Breakfast that she did not know whether her father was “dead or alive”, adding that she only knew he was taken to Gaza after being kidnapped from his home in the kibbutz of Nir Oz on October 7.

Speaking from Tel Aviv, Ms Lifschitz said: “My father spent 65 years building this community, we grew up collectively as children in my generation. If there is a queue, he is fighting to be at the back of the queue.”

She added that every hostage that was released was a “ray of light” in a “long and horrendous story”.

Ms Lifschitz’s mother, Yocheved Lifshitz, was released by Hamas from Gaza last month.

08:02 AM GMT

PM thanks Qatar and Egypt for diplomacy

The Prime Minister thanked Qatar and Egypt for their “intensive diplomacy” in helping to secure a pause in the fighting in the Israel-Hamas war.

The temporary truce in the conflict came into effect early on Friday, setting the stage for the exchange of dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

Rishi Sunak tweeted: “This humanitarian pause is critical to end the terrible ordeal of hostages held by Hamas and get life-saving aid into Gaza.

“I want to thank Qatar, Egypt and others for the intensive diplomacy that has got us here.

“We will not stop until all hostages are safely returned.”

07:48 AM GMT

'War is not ovcer yet," says IDF

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears to be holding, but the Israeli Defence Forces have warned that the “war is not over yet”.

Spokesman Avichay Adraee warned Palestinians to stay in the humanitarian zone in the south as he urged caution.

”The war is not over yet. The humanitarian pause is temporary,” he wrote on X. “The northern Gaza Strip is a dangerous war zone and it is forbidden to move north. For your safety, you must remain in the humanitarian zone in the south.”

He added: “It is only possible to move from the north of the Strip to the south via Salah al-Din Road. The movement of residents from the south of the Strip to the north is not allowed and dangerous.”

07:34 AM GMT

Pictured: Palestinians head home after ceasefire begins

07:19 AM GMT

Lebanon's Hezbollah intensifies attacks on Israel

The Iran-backed Hezbollah group on Thursday intensified its attacks on Israel from southern Lebanon where Israeli bombardments killed seven of its fighters, including members of an elite unit.

Hezbollah said it carried out more than 20 attacks on Israeli military positions and claimed to have caused casualties.

In one of the attacks, it said it fired 48 Katyusha rockets at a military base at Ein Zeitim, near the town of Safed in northern Israel, about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the border.

That attack marked the largest rocket salvo to be fired by the Iran-backed group since violence broke out last month. Hezbollah said it also used the heavy-duty Burkan missile in another attack against an Israeli border position.

The Israeli army said that, in response to fire towards Israel, its helicopters and fighters jets had struck “terrorist infrastructure” belonging to Hezbollah, as well as rocket launch sites.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency said the Israeli army had shelled several locations in southern Lebanon in response.

06:55 AM GMT

Aid trucks enter Gaza from Egypt

Aid trucks were entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt around 1-1.5 hours after the truce began, Reuters TV footage showed.

Two of the trucks, representing Egyptian organisations, sported banners that said” “Together for Humanity.”

Another said: “For our brothers in Gaza.”

06:42 AM GMT

Britain pledges additional aid to Gaza

Britain will provide another £30 million of humanitarian aid to Gaza, Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Friday as he travels to the occupied Palestinian territories on the second day of his visit to the region.

Mr Cameron will meet Palestinian leaders and aid agencies.

“I am proud that a fourth UK flight carrying critical supplies landed in Egypt today, and I can announce new £30m of funding which will be spent on vital aid such as shelter and medical provisions,” he said.

The new pledge will double the amount of additional aid Britain has committed to Gaza since the conflict began in October.

06:30 AM GMT

In pictures: Soldiers react as truce begins

06:23 AM GMT

Gaza truce appears to hold for now

A Reuters correspondent near the northern part of Gaza heard no Israeli air force activity overhead once the truce began this morning.

Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen TV also reported that since the start of the ceasefire, no sounds of bombing were heard in Gaza.

05:31 AM GMT

'Relative calm' as ceasefire begins

A reporter on the ground in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, told Al Jazeera that the ceasefire has started and fighting has paused.

“We are witnessing a relative calm, that is gradually becoming more and more visible as there is a complete stop of fighter jets flying over the Gaza Strip,” Hani Mahmoud said.

05:22 AM GMT

Israeli sirens warn of possible rocket attacks

The Israeli military sounded sirens in two villages near the Gaza Strip, warning of possible Palestinian rocket attacks from the Hamas-ruled enclave.

One reportedly sounded in a kibbutz near the Strip a few hours before the truce and another just 15 minutes beforehand in kibbutz Nir Oz.

There was no immediate confirmation that rocket attacks had occurred or caused any damage.

Reuters reported sirens blared just minutes after the truce came into effect but that has not been verified.

But the sirens certainly raise questions in regards to how long the truce will hold.

05:04 AM GMT

Ceasefire begins in Israel-Hamas war

The four-day truce should technically now be in effect as it is 7am in Israel and Gaza.

We will bring you more information and details as they become available.

05:00 AM GMT

Indonesian Hospital attacked overnight

Israeli forces attacked the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza overnight, destroying the first floor, according to reports.

“Last night, Israeli forces attacked the hospital with tanks and destroyed all of the first floor. The damage was very bad,” Dr Sarbini Abdul Murad, head of the Indonesian charity Medical Emergency Rescue Committee, told Al Jazeera.

“Previously, they had attacked the third floor. They arrested at least three people. This is their way of taking over the hospitals before the ceasefire today.”

04:35 AM GMT

Ceasefire is 'too late'

Many Palestinian families have said the truce between Israel and Hamas has come too late.

“The living here are the ones who are dead,” Fida Zayed, whose 20-year-old son Udai was killed in a recent air strike, told AFP.

“The last thing he said to me was that he was waiting for the truce on Friday. He asked me to prepare him a feast of rice and chicken.”

She added: “I hope me and my children die here so we don’t have to mourn each other.”

04:11 AM GMT

Prisoners to be released from three jails

Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails are due to be released on Friday, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said.

The armed wing of Hamas said three Palestinian prisoners would be released for each one of the hostages.

They will be released from three jails in Israel and the occupied West Bank, then taken to the Ofer military camp on buses, an Israeli official told AFP, adding they were expected to be freed in the evening.

Majority are from the West Bank, but five are from the Gaza Strip.

04:09 AM GMT

Hostage release explained: What we know so far

The “first batch” of 13 Israeli hostages, who are expected to be released around 4pm local time today, will be women and children from the same families.

At least 50 hostages are expected to be released over the four days.

Teams of Israeli trauma experts and medics will await them, along with specially trained soldiers who, according to guidelines, will promise to keep them safe and carry a child’s favourite food item, be it pizza or chicken schnitzel.

Few details are publicly known about the conditions the hostages have been held in.

“Given the barbaric nature of the attacks and captivity we can only prepare for worst case scenarios,” Moty Cristal said, a retired Israeli military official with experience in hostage negotiations.

04:06 AM GMT

Good morning

Welcome to our live blog on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

A ceasefire is set to begin in less than an hour at 7am local time (5am GMT).

We will bring you the latest news and developments as they unfold today.

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