In a post on President Donald Trump's Truth Social network, Trump wrote that the hostages released today "appear to be in good condition."
"Israel will now have to decide what to do about the deadline that expires today at 12:00, which has been imposed for the release of all hostages. The United States of America will support whatever decision they make," the US president added.
The deadline Trump is referring to is the one he mentioned earlier this week, when he insisted that Hamas must release all hostages by noon today.
It is not clear which time zone he is referring to, but Trump has previously said that Israel should "let all hell break loose" on Gaza if his deadline is not met.
Lebanese Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar called an emergency meeting to discuss the security situation, the Lebanese state news agency NNA reported.
The minister told reporters that more than 25 people had been taken in for questioning in connection with the attack on the UNIFIL convoy.
Citing the minister's statement, NNA reported that al-Hajjar confirmed that the Lebanese government condemns the attack, which is considered a crime.
He also gave instructions to work on identifying the perpetrators and referring them to the competent judicial authorities.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the three hostages freed today were "forced to endure a heinous and cynical ceremony."
"Finalizing the hostage agreement is a human, moral and Jewish obligation. We will continue to do everything in our power to return all of our sisters and brothers from captivity in Gaza," Herzog said via social media.
Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on social media that Israel would continue to cooperate with the United States to "ensure that all hostages are returned to Israel soon" and that "the threat of Palestinian terrorism will be destroyed and removed from Gaza."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel was welcoming the freed hostages with a "big hug."
"We have prepared for their return, and together with their families we will help them rehabilitate after the long and harrowing days in captivity," the statement added.
Netanyahu's office referred to Hamas's statement earlier this week, in which it said it would not release the hostages today due to claims that Israel had violated the terms of the ceasefire agreement, the prime minister's office added.
"This week, Hamas again attempted to violate the agreement and create a false crisis with baseless claims. Thanks to the deployment of our forces in and around Gaza, as well as a clear and unambiguous statement from President Trump, Hamas relented, and the release of hostages continued."
"We are working in full coordination with the United States to rescue all of our hostages, both alive and dead, as quickly as possible, and we are fully prepared for what comes next, in every respect," the statement concluded.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said that four released prisoners, who had arrived in Ramallah earlier, were transferred to a hospital in the occupied West Bank due to serious health conditions.
Palestinians in Israeli captivity have suffered horrific conditions, which human rights organizations say amount to torture, the Guardian reports.
A report by the Israeli Center for Human Rights B'Tselem, titled "Welcome to Hell," published in August 2024, contained testimonies from 55 released Palestinian detainees.
"Everyone told us the same thing, over and over again," said Yuli Novak, executive director of B'Tselem.
"Continuous abuse, daily violence, physical and psychological violence, humiliation, sleep deprivation, starvation. The Israeli prison system as a whole, when it comes to Palestinians, has been transformed into a network of torture camps," she pointed out.
Among the most prominent Palestinian prisoners to be released today is Ahmed Barghouti (48), a close associate of Marwan Barghouti, a militant leader and prominent Palestinian political figure. He was sentenced to life in prison in Israel for sending suicide bombers during the Palestinian uprising, or Intifada, in the early 2000s to carry out attacks that killed Israeli civilians. He was arrested with Marwan Barghouti in 2002. Of the 251 hostages who were taken as of October 7, 2023, 73 remain in Gaza, and about half of them are believed to be dead. Almost all of the remaining hostages are men, including Israeli soldiers, Beta reports.
The first bus with released Palestinian prisoners and detainees has left Israel's Ofer prison in the West Bank.
Shouts of joy were heard in Ramallah when a minibus carrying freed prisoners and detainees arrived, the BBC reports.
A crowd of people surrounded the bus, knocking on the windows and waving.
The men were then carried through the streets, while the crowd chanted "God is great."
Most prisoners will return to what remains of their homes in Gaza and the West Bank.
Some will be expelled to other countries.
Hamas said in a statement that there was no other way to free the hostages held in Gaza "except through negotiations and by adhering to the terms of the ceasefire agreement."
"We are telling the whole world: No migration except to Jerusalem," the militant group said, in response to former US President Donald Trump's suggestion that Palestinians settle in neighboring countries, the Guardian reports.
The freed hostages crossed the Gaza-Israel border after 498 days of captivity.
Israel claims that the Argentine-Israeli hostage, Yair Horn, was held in "unimaginable conditions."
A post on the official Israeli account on the X network said that Horn and his brother Eitan were "forcibly abducted" on October 7 and were held in "unimaginable conditions for almost 500 days."
Hamas is still holding Eitan hostage and he will not be released in the first phase of the ceasefire.
"This evening, a UN peacekeeping convoy carrying peacekeepers to Beirut airport was violently attacked and one vehicle was set on fire. The outgoing UN Assistant Force Commander was injured as he was returning home after completing his mission," UNIFIL said.
UN forces have demanded a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities and that all those responsible for the attack be brought to justice, Beta reports.
UNIFIL has been deployed in southern Lebanon since 1978, where it is a buffer zone with Israel.
UNIFIL condemned what they said was a flagrant violation of international law that could be construed as a war crime.
"We are shocked by this outrageous attack on peacekeepers working to restore security and stability in southern Lebanon during this difficult period," UNIFIL said in a statement.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also condemned the attack and promised that urgent measures would be taken to identify the attackers, arrest them, and bring them to justice.
The Lebanese army has promised to work vigorously to prevent any attack on civil peace and apprehend those who create unrest.
Hezbollah did not immediately respond, but Hezbollah's ally, the Amal movement led by parliament speaker Nabih Berri, condemned the "attack against southern Lebanon."
"Road blockades wherever they occur constitute an attack on civil peace," the movement added in a statement.
According to Israeli media reports, the freed hostages are now in the hands of IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers in the Gaza Strip.
He will soon be transferred from Gaza to a military facility near the border community of Reim where he will undergo an initial medical examination.
Elsewhere in the region, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun vowed to punish protesters who attacked a UN peacekeeping convoy the day before, wounding the outgoing deputy commander, AFP reports.
Aoun "condemned the attack... and stressed that the attackers will be punished," the presidency said in a statement on the IX network.
"Security forces will not be lenient towards any party that attempts to disrupt stability and civil peace," the statement added.
Hezbollah supporters blocked the road to the country's only international airport for two nights in a row over a decision to ban two Iranian planes from landing in Beirut, and the military reported protests in the area on Friday.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) also requested an investigation after one of its vehicles was set on fire during an incident on Friday evening, wounding the force's deputy commander, Chok Bahadur Jakal, as he was returning home.
An AFP journalist saw smoke rising from the charred wreckage of a vehicle bearing UN peacekeeping markings, while military units were nearby.
Demonstrators are blocking the road to the airport and other roads in the capital, protesting the Lebanese authorities' decision to revoke the flight permit of a passenger plane from Iran to Beirut on Thursday, leaving dozens of Lebanese passengers stranded.
The decision to ban the Iranian plane came after the Israeli military issued a statement alleging that Iran was smuggling money to the militant group Hezbollah via civilian flights.
Emotions are heightened in Israel as large numbers of people on the streets of Tel Aviv, as well as in other cities, watch the hostages being released.
Several media outlets are reporting a Hamas statement released this morning, stating that Israel will only be able to take back the remaining hostages if it fully implements all provisions of the ceasefire agreement and the release of the hostages.
Hamas added that the release of the hostages is being carried out after they received guarantees from intermediary countries that Israel will honor the agreements, reports Haaretz.
"We expect Israel to begin implementing the humanitarian protocol, in accordance with the assurances and guarantees received from the mediators," Hamas said.
The militant group has accused Israel of blocking humanitarian aid despite a ceasefire, and of killing dozens of Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy who was reportedly killed by Israeli sniper fire on Thursday as he tried to return to his home.
Footage from Khan Yunis shows hundreds of armed Palestinian fighters gathered in a square, surrounded by buildings destroyed by Israeli bombing, while hundreds of other people watch, climbing on cars and piles of rubble to get a better view, the Guardian reports.
Three prisoners – Israeli of Argentine origin Yair Horn (46), Israeli of American origin Sagvi Dekel Chen (36) and Israeli of Russian origin Alexander (Sasha) Trufanov (29) – are currently being handed over to the Red Cross by the militant group Hamas, reports The Guardian.
In a carefully coordinated operation, the hostages, surrounded by heavily armed Hamas and Islamic Jihad members, were taken to a stage covered in propaganda images and invited to speak into a microphone.
The hostages appear to be in good health.
Israel is now expected to release 360 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Islamic Jihad previously released a second video of Alexander Trufanov, Israeli media reported.
The video showed Trufanov in the tunnel as he was handed a document informing him of his release, the Times of Israel reports.
The militant group also released a video on Friday showing Trufanov eating and fishing on a beach in Gaza.
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