Three Israeli hostages released and 183 Palestinian prisoners freedpublished at 08:31
Lana Lam
Live digital reporter
Three Israeli hostages held by Hamas since 7 October 2023 were freed today in the fourth release of hostages since the start of the ceasefire deal on 19 January.
Israel later released 183 Palestinian prisoners that had been held in its jails, who were met by jubilant crowds in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Here’s how the day unfolded:
- At 08:30am local time (06:30 GMT), Hamas handed over Ofer Kalderon, 53 and Yarden Bibas, 34, to the Red Cross in Khan Younis. Two hours later, US-Israeli Keith Siegel, 65, was released in Gaza City
- Both handovers were in “stark contrast” to the chaotic scenes on Thursday, BBC’s Alice Cuddy writes, when seven hostages – two Israelis and five Thai nationals – were surrounded by large crowds in Khan Younis
- After the release of the three hostages, buses carrying Palestinian prisoners arrived from Ofer prison into Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank and