Brewers have launched a last-minute bid for the government to stop a price hike on beer that kicks in on Monday.

The alcohol excise is expected to increase between 2-3 per cent on February 3, with independent brewers warning the tax hike could push them over the brink.

It means a pint of beer could rise to about $15 as early as next week.

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In the eleventh hour, the Brewers Association of Australia has made a submission to the Treasurer's Budget consultation process.

"On behalf of brewers and beer drinkers across Australia we are asking for urgent action to address the high rates of beer tax," Brewers Association of Australia CEO John Preston said.

"We already have one of the highest beer tax rates in the world – there is no need for it to keep going up twice a year.

"Australians are doing the right thing and drinking responsibly."

Preston says the increase in tax will make it impossible for Aussies to enjoy a cold one at an affordable price. 

"All these tax hikes are doing is making it increasingly unaffordable for Australians to head out to their local for a beer.

"Last year the newly elected Labour Government in the United Kingdom used its first Budget to continue the reductions in beer tax that were started under the previous Conservative government.

"We believe the Treasurer should follow the example of his British counterpart and give much-needed relief to beer drinkers and our hospitality sector."

The alcohol tax is a revenue stream that brings in millions of dollars for the government.

The Trump administration said it was in talks with El Salvador to revive an agreement that could allow the United States to send non-Salvadoran migrants to the Central American country.

This time, though, the government would also aim to send members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to Salvadoran prisons, said Mauricio Claver-Carone, the State Department's special envoy for Latin America, in a call with media outlets.

It comes after a harsh crackdown on the country's gangs by El Salvador President Nayib Bukele.

READ MORE: Bodies of soldiers recovered as Trump blames diversity for tragedy

Bukele suspended key constitutional rights in 2022 and arrested 84,000 people, more than 1 per cent of the country's population.

The majority of them remain in prison without being sentenced.

Bukele's government did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

The crackdown has fueled human rights criticisms but has resulted in a sharp drop in violence in El Salvador, once plagued by the warring Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18 gangs.

Despite concerns over democracy, Bukele has drawn the admiration of many American right-wing figures.

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Simultaneously, the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has also become a buzzword for Trump in speeches and politicians on the right.

"If we commit to reviving this agreement and include … members of the Tren de Aragua gang, I bet they're going to want to go back to Venezuela instead of dealing with the Mara prisons in El Salvador," Claver-Carone said.

Claver-Carone spoke about the talks ahead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio 's trip to Latin America. Rubio is set to visit El Salvador on Monday between visits to Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

Top on the agenda is migration, and Rubio is likely to push allies like Bukele to help the Trump administration in its migratory crackdown and to accept migrants from countries like Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba that largely don't accept deportation flights from the US

READ MORE: 'You want me to go swimming?' Trump's cold remark about plane crash

Claver-Carone provided few additional details about what "reviving" the agreement would entail. Trump in 2019 carried out a program known as "Safe Third Countries."

During his first term, Trump reached agreements that would require people to apply for protective status in countries deemed "safe" that they passed through before reaching the US border.

But it was sharply criticised as a way to cut off access for people to apply for asylum in the US There were also doubts about the safety of vulnerable people in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, countries terrorised by gangs that often prey on vulnerable migrants.

Reviving the program would just be the latest step by Trump in slashing access to asylum after a slate of executive actions in his first days in office.

In the Friday call, Claver-Carone also called Bukele "the most consequential president in the region" and an "ally" on migration issues.

As Salvadoran migration to the US dipped in recent years, Bukele has taken steps to block migrants from passing through the country on the way to the US amid pressures from the Biden administration. As he did, the Biden administration toned down criticisms of Bukele after warning of democratic backsliding in El Salvador.

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Five years ago, two crowds of people gathered near Britain's Parliament — some with Union Jacks and cheers, others European Union flags and tears.

On January 31, 2020 at 11pm London time (10am Feb 1 AEDT) – midnight at EU headquarters in Brussels — the UK officially left the bloc after almost five decades of membership that had brought free movement and free trade between Britain and 27 other European countries.

For Brexit supporters, the UK was now a sovereign nation in charge of its own destiny. For opponents, it was an isolated and diminished country.

READ MORE: Plane at 90-degree angle seconds before it hit the ground

It was, inarguably, a divided nation that had taken a leap into the dark. Five years on, people and businesses are still wrestling with the economic, social and cultural aftershocks.

"The impact has been really quite profound," said political scientist Anand Menon, who heads the think-tank UK in a Changing Europe.

"It's changed our economy.

"And our politics has been changed quite fundamentally as well," he added.

"We've seen a new division around Brexit becoming part of electoral politics."

A decision that split the nation

An island nation with a robust sense of its historical importance, Britain had long been an uneasy member of the EU when it held a referendum in June 2016 on whether to remain or leave.

Decades of deindustrialisation, followed by years of public spending cuts and high immigration, made fertile ground for the argument that Brexit would let the UK "take back control" of its borders, laws and economy.

Yet the result — 52 per cent to 48 per cent in favour of leaving — came as a shock to many. Neither the Conservative government, which campaigned to stay in the EU, nor pro-Brexit campaigners had planned for the messy details of the split.

READ MORE: Brisbane man puts kebab on hold to confront would-be thieves

The referendum was followed by years of wrangling over divorce terms between a wounded EU and a fractious UK that caused gridlock in Parliament and ultimately defeated Prime Minister Theresa May. She resigned in 2019 and was replaced by Boris Johnson, who vowed to "get Brexit done."

It wasn't so simple.

A blow to the British economy

The UK left without agreement on its future economic relationship with the EU, which accounted for half the country's trade. The political departure was followed by 11 months of testy negotiations on divorce terms, culminating in agreement on Christmas Eve in 2020.

The bare-bones trade deal saw the UK leave the bloc's single market and customs union. It meant goods could move without tariffs or quotas, but brought new red tape, costs and delays for trading businesses.

"It has cost us money. We are definitely slower and it's more expensive. But we've survived," said Lars Andersen, whose London-based company, My Nametags, ships brightly colored labels for kids' clothes and school supplies to more than 150 countries.

To keep trading with the EU, Andersen has had to set up a base in Ireland, through which all orders destined for EU countries must pass before being sent on. He says the hassle has been worth it, but some other small businesses he knows have stopped trading with the EU or moved manufacturing out of the UK.

Julianne Ponan, founder and CEO of allergen-free food producer Creative Nature, had a growing export business to EU countries that was devastated by Brexit. Since then she has successfully turned to markets in the Middle East and Australia, something she says has been a positive outcome of leaving the EU.

Having mastered the new red tape, she is now gradually building up business with Europe again.

"But we've lost four years of growth there," she said. "And that's the sad part. We would be a lot further ahead in our journey if Brexit hadn't happened."

The government's Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts that UK exports and imports will both be around 15 per cent lower in the long run than if the UK had remained in the EU, and economic productivity 4 per cent less than it otherwise would have been.

Brexit supporters argue that short-term pain will be offset by Britain's new freedom to strike trade deals around the world. Since Brexit, the UK has signed trade agreements with countries including Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

But David Henig, a trade expert at the European Centre for International Political Economy, said they have not offset the hit to trade with Britain's nearest neighbours.

"The big players aren't so much affected," Henig said.

"We still have Airbus, we still have Scotch whisky. We still do defence, big pharmaceuticals. But the mid-size players are really struggling to keep their exporting position. And nobody new is coming in to set up."

A lesson in unintended consequences

In some ways, Brexit has not played out as either supporters or opponents anticipated. The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine piled on more economic disruption, and made it harder to discern the impact of Britain's EU exit on the economy.

In one key area, immigration, Brexit's impact has been the opposite of what many predicted. A desire to reduce immigration was a major reason many people voted to leave the EU, yet immigration today is far higher than before Brexit because the number of visas granted for workers from around the world has soared.

Meanwhile, the rise of protectionist political leaders, especially newly returned US President Donald Trump, has raised the stakes for Britain, now caught between its near neighbours in Europe and its trans-Atlantic "special relationship" with the US.

"The world is a far less forgiving place now than it was in 2016 when we voted to leave," Menon said.

Can Britain and the EU be friends again?

Polls suggest UK public opinion has soured on Brexit, with a majority of people now thinking it was a mistake. But rejoining seems a distant prospect. With memories of arguments and division still raw, few people want to go through all that again.

Labour Party Prime Minister Keir Starmer, elected in July 2024, has promised to "reset" relations with the EU, but has ruled out rejoining the customs union or single market. He's aiming for relatively modest changes such as a making it easier for artists to tour and for professionals to have their qualifications recognised, as well as on closer cooperation on law enforcement and security.

EU leaders have welcomed the change of tone from Britain, but have problems of their own amid growing populism across the continent. The UK is no longer a top priority.

"I completely understand, it's difficult to get back together after quite a harsh divorce," said Andersen, who nonetheless hopes Britain and the EU will draw closer with time.

"I suspect it will happen, but it will happen slowly and subtly without politicians particularly shouting about it."

A man was forced to put his kebab on hold when he saw a bottle shop in Brisbane's West End being robbed last night.

Brad stepped in to stop three teenagers who were allegedly attempting to steal alcohol in front of dozens of restaurant diners at West End Liquorland at 7pm yesterday.

"I said something's not right here," Brad told 9News.

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Security footage from the Liquorland store shows the trio grabbing bottles and putting them in their bags.

The worker behind the counter appears distracted.

But not Brad, who had been queuing nearby for a kebab when he spotted the trouble and leapt into action.

"So where the bottle shop is, I went and I just stood in front because it's a single door," he said. 

"I went and stood in front of the door."

Brad told them to drop the grog as he staunchly blocked the exit, until they either paid or decided to leave empty-handed.

"They tried to argue. They came out and tried to push me. I grabbed them, and threw them aside," he said.

The trio left empty-handed, fleeing in a white SUV across the road.

Brad said he's sick of seeing people take what they don't work for, so just had to step in.

"The way I was raised, from my parents back in Sydney, we don't put up with that stuff."

Police say they're investigating the incident.

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The parents of two Australian tourists who died from methanol poisoning in Laos are speaking out to put pressure on the country's government to properly investigate the deaths, 60 Minutes Journalist Tara Brown has told 9News.

Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles both died from methanol poisoning after a night out drinking at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in the town of Vang Vieng.

Brown told 9News she believes the families spoke to her in the exclusive interview because the Laos government has refused to meet with them.

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"I think they want to really warn the community of the dangers of methanol poisoning and they want to keep pressure on the government of Laos to fully investigate the deaths.

"They feel that they don't have enough information to fully understand what led to their daughter's deaths."

She said the smallest amount of methanol could be fatal.

"Two teaspoons is likely to blind you… one shot… 30 millimetres will kill you."

READ MORE: Black box recovered from river after deadly US mid-air collision

Brown said the families of Jones and Bowles had been friends for a long time even before the girls were born, and were leaning on each other for support.

"The pain is etched on their faces, these are magnificent strong people, they get through every day, they have to keep going… they have each other," Brown said.

Six tourists staying at the hostel were killed from methanol poisoning.

The full interview will go to air on 60 Minutes on Sunday night.

More than 40 bodies have been recovered after a mid-air crash between a US military Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane in Washington DC.

All 67 people caught in the crash over the Potomac River are believed dead, including three soldiers aboard the Black Hawk and 60 passengers and four crew on the plane.

The bodies of the three soldiers are among those recovered, but they have not been named.

Here's what we know about those on board.

READ MORE: Bodies recovered as Trump throws blame over deadly mid-air crash

First officer was engaged to be married

Two pilots on the plane have been identified.

Samuel Lilley, 28, was the first officer on the flight, his father said in a Facebook post.

"I was so proud when Sam became a pilot," Timothy Lilley wrote.

"Now it hurts so bad I can't even cry myself to sleep. I know I'll see him again but my heart is breaking.

"He was doing great in his career and his personal life. 

"He was engaged to get married in the fall.  

"Sam was the first officer on the flight that crashed in DC last night.  It is so devastating to lose someone that is loved so much."

Lilley's sister, Tiffany Gibson, also paid tribute to her brother.

"My dad helped him go to flight school and then he worked really hard on that.

"It was a lot tougher than he thought it was gonna be, but he pursued and kicked butt through it, and then loved, he loved, loved, loved what he did."

The captain has been named as Jonathan Campos, according to a colleague who spoke to CNN.

Campos became a captain for American Airlines in 2022.

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom has met with the families of victims of Flight 5342, Isom told CNN as he was departing Reagan National Airport's departures lobby.

Isom, accompanied by security and press staff and dressed casually in a blue quarter-zip sweater, nodded solemnly when asked by CNN if he had met with victims' families and planned to meet with investigators.

Champion figure skaters

Among those on board the plane were several champion figure skaters, coaches, and family members.

One passenger, figure skater Spencer Lane, aged 16, posted a photo showing the right wing of an aeroplane on his Instagram Stories before the plane took off.

The photo has the caption "ICT -> DCA", which are the airport codes for Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

READ MORE: Washington, DC, plane crash: What we know so far

Lane and his mother Christine Lane had just attended the US Figure Skating Championships and National Development Camp in Wichita, Kansas.

Lane, who was from Barrington, Rhode Island, took part in his first professional show in December with Elin Schran's company, Joy Skate Productions, she said.

"It was a new experience for him. He was nervous. And then after the show ended, he came over and he was just beaming," Schran said.

"He started to discover this connection with the audience and that joy that he was giving to other people through his gift."

In a statement, the Lane family recalled Christine Lane for both her singular talents and her dedication to parenting.

"Christine exuded creativity throughout her life, using her formal graphic design training as a jumping-off point for seemingly endless creative pursuits across areas such as photography, quilting, knitting, and more. She brought even greater passion to her role as a mother to Spencer and his brother Milo," the family said.

The Skating Club of Boston confirmed that coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, as well as athletes Lane and Jinna Han, were on the flight.

Jin Han, the latter's mother, was on the plane as well, the club said.

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"We watched Jinna just grow up here from just a tiny little tyke into this amazingly mature 13 year old," Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe said.

"A great performer, a great competitor, and off the ice, a great kid."

Shishkova and Naumov, the coaches, were the 1994 world figure skating champions in pairs.

They represented Russia but moved to the US, where they launched successful coaching careers.

Figure skating Olympic medallist Nancy Kerrigan paid tribute to the victims.

READ MORE: Near-miss at Washington airport a day before fatal crash

"I'm not sure how to process it," she said.

"We just wanted to be here and be part of our community."

Kerrigan said she had "never seen anyone love skating" as much as the athletes who died in the collision.

She said she had been watching coverage of the tragedy all night, but then "when you find out you know some of the people on the plane, it's even a bigger blow."

READ MORE: The recent history of plane crashes in the US

In neighboring Loudoun County, a coach at a skating club was also identified as among the passengers, Virginia Representative Suhas Subramanyam confirmed.

The club, Ashburn Ice House, said that its "figure skating community has been directly affected," but did not give further details.

'Experienced' helicopter crew

The bodies of all three soldiers who were on the helicopter have been recovered.

Officials said the remains will be at Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

That office coordinates the dignified transfer of fallen service members.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet announced.

No identities of the crew have been released.

The three soldiers were doing an annual night proficiency training flight, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said, adding they were a “fairly experienced crew”.

Ryan O'Hara, one of the soldiers on the Black Hawk helicopter involved in Wednesday night's collision, is being remembered by a fellow service member as "one of the finest, most disciplined, committed trainers" he has ever worked with.

Josh Muehlendorf, Chief Warrant Officer 5 with the US Army, worked with O'Hara when he was a senior instructor pilot for his battalion.

"I've flown dozens of flights with Ryan O'Hara, trying to tap into his expertise on hoist operation," Muehlendorf said.

Muehlendorf told CNN that O'Hara was a crew chief by trade, explaining that his "military occupational specialty was a 15T and he was originally trained to be a maintainer of Black Hawk helicopters."

O'Hara's responsibilities expanded and he began teaching other crew chiefs how to properly execute crew duties in the back of a Black Hawk, Muehlendorf said.

Muehlendorf recalled O'Hara as a man with a deep love for his family.

"I remember being longwinded in a debrief and he had to tell me that he had a date night planned. The debrief promptly ended," Muehlendorf said.

"A huge loss to Army Aviation and the world around him. May he rest in peace, and may our Father be a comfort to his dear family," he continued.

The wife of another one of the helicopter pilots said on Facebook that her husband, Andrew Eaves of Noxubee County Mississippi, was killed.

In a phone call, Carrie Eaves confirmed the post was hers, Associated Press reported.

"We ask that you pray for our family and friends and for all the other families that are suffering today. We ask for peace while we grieve," her post read.

Maryland union members

Those killed also included four steamfitters, all members of a United Association union local in suburban Maryland, union leaders said in a social media post after the crash.

“Our focus now is on providing support and care to the families of our Brothers as we continue to gather more information in the coming days,” the post by UA General President Mark McManus and Chris Madello, the business manager of Local 602, said.

School students, parents

Three students from schools in Fairfax County, Virginia and six parents from the district were on board the plane, superintendent Michelle Reid said in a letter to families.

She did not identify them, but said the students were from different schools and that two of the parents were current or former district staffers.

University student

A junior at Cedarville University was one of the passengers on the American Airlines flight involved in the deadly collision, according to the school.

Grace Maxwell was from Wichita, Kansas, according to the university, located in Cedarville, Ohio.

"As you can imagine, the past 24 hours have been very difficult for the Maxwell family and the Cedarville University community," the private Baptist college wrote.

"As a university, we do not desire to turn this tragic event into anything more than a way to honor Grace, her family, and Jesus."

Maxwell's father, Dean Maxwell, said she was returning to campus from her home in Wichita, Kansas, after attending her grandfather's funeral, the Kansas City Star reported.

Maxwell had been working on project this semester to create a hand-stabilising device to help a boy in the area feed himself instead of rely on others, the university said in a statement.

"Grace was a quiet person with a keen interest in helping others through engineering," said Tim Norman, who served as her secondary advisor.

Hunters heading home

Seven people returning from a guided hunting trip in Kansas were killed, according to a Facebook post by Fowl Plains, the guide service.

The Fowl Plains team said they had grown close to the hunters on board the flight over the years and considered them to be family members.

The post doesn't identify the hunters by name, but it says they had spent the past week on a guided hunt, "laughing, talking about our families and sharing memories."

"Heartbroken is an understatement," the company said.

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A highly concerning spate of "evil" antisemitic attacks have been occurring across Australia – particularly in Sydney and Melbourne – since the beginning of the Israel-Gaza war.

Synagogues, homes, cars and even a childcare centre have been firebombed and defaced with vile graffiti, inciting fear and distress.

In the latest major incident, police who located a caravan containing explosives and documents have alleged it was related to plans for an antisemitic attack.

READ MORE: 'Heart is breaking': Loved ones speak as US air disaster victims revealed

After his former home was subject to an attack, Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, called out "an evil at work in this country" and warned it was only getting more dangerous the more it went on.

"We have been saying for so long that this can't be normalised, but when we wake up every day and another place has been hit… this is the norm," he said.

Here's how the recent spate of attacks has unfolded.

2024

May 24: Australia's largest Jewish school, Mount Scopus Memorial College, was graffitied in Melbourne.

November 21: A total of 10 cars, including one which was set alight, were spray-painted with graffiti, along with three premises, in multiple Woollahra streets in Sydney.

December 6: The Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea, Melbourne firebombed while worshippers were inside.

December 11: Multiple properties at Woollahra, Sydney were sprayed with anti-Israel slogans, while a Toyota Corolla was destroyed by fire.

2025

January 6: A car was vandalised with antisemitic graffiti in Sydney's east.

January 10: A synagogue in Allawah, Sydney was defaced with antisemitic graffiti.

January 11: Antisemitic graffiti was found on a home in Sydney's east and a synagogue in Sydney's Inner West.

January 17: The former home of Jewish leader in Dover Heights, Sydney was covered with red paint, multiple cars nearby were sprayed with graffiti and two were set on fire,

January 19: A caravan containing explosives said to be capable of causing a "mass casualty event" with a 40-metre diameter blast and documents suggesting they may have been intended for use in an antisemitic attack on a synagogue were found in Dural, Sydney.

January 21: A childcare centre in Maroubra, Sydney was firebombed and antisemitic graffiti left on the walls,

January 30: A Jewish school, two homes and a shopping centre were defaced with antisemitic graffiti in Sydney's east

January 31: Graffiti was sprayed on an electrical box outside the Diamond Bay Bowling Club in Sydney. The club has a lot of Jewish members and a block of units where a lot of Jewish people live.

Two of Australia's most prominent human rights lawyers, a leading infectious disease expert and a late Indigenous activist are among the recipients of the most prestigious titles in this year's Australia Day honours list, in the 50th year of the awards.

Governor-General Samantha Mostyn announced today that 732 had been recognised in the annual honour roll.

Six of those were handed the nation's highest honour, becoming a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).

Among them were human rights lawyers Gillian Triggs and Megan Davis.

Triggs was the former assistant high commissioner at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and president of the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Davis is an internationally recognised lawyer who also played a prominent role in the Indigenous Voice to parliament proposal and the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

You can use our interactive data table below to search through all the Australians honours this year by name, postcode, state or honour.

Late Indigenous advocate Galarrwuy Yunupingu, the 1978 Australian of the Year, was also made a Companion of the Order of Australia.

Beyond his extensive career as a leading land rights campaigner, Yunupingu was also brother to Yothu Yindi frontman Mandawuy Yunupingu, and featured heavily in the band's work, painting its album art and singing traditional lines in some songs.

Joining them as ACs in this year's honour roll are epidemiologist Allen Cheng, Victoria's former deputy chief health officer who became one of the public faces of the state's response to COVID-19, as well as High Court Justice James Edelman, and Gondwana Choirs founder Lyn Williams.

The honours list also features all of Australia's first-time gold medallists from the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, including kayaker Noemie Fox, swimmer Alexa Leary, and 14-year-old skateboarder Arisa Trew.

Former Australian women's Test cricket captain Raelee Thompson was made a Member of the Order of Australia, as was singer-songwriter and ARIA Hall of Famer Gerard Bertelkamp, better known as Beeb Birtles.

"To read recipient stories is to be reminded that contribution to communities across the country, underpinned by care, kindness, respect and love, is what matter most to all Australians, in every sphere of life," Mostyn said.

"Recipients embody the best of us, and we are grateful to all of them.

"This year, we mark the 50th anniversary of Australia's honours system. We have a wonderful opportunity over the next 50 years of our honours and awards to reflect our generous, successful and modern Australian society.

"To all Australians, nominating and honouring our fellow Australians is a meaningful way of saying, as a nation, thank you."

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Hamas militants handed over four captive female Israeli soldiers to the Red Cross in Gaza City on Saturday after parading them in front of a crowd.

Israel was set to release 200 Palestinian prisoners or detainees later in the day as part of the fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The four smiled broadly as they waved and gave the thumbs-up from a stage in Gaza City's Palestine Square, militants on either side of them and a crowd of thousands watching, before they were led off to waiting Red Cross vehicles.

READ MORE: Trump proposes 'getting rid' of emergency agency while touring disaster areas

As they were released, hundreds of people cheered in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square where they were watching the drama unfold on a big screen television.

"I'm speechless," said Aviv Bercovich, one of the onlookers.

"I had goosebumps watching them. I just want the war to end."

Israel confirmed that the hostages were with its forces not long after they were driven away from the handover in Gaza City by the Red Cross.

The crowds in Tel Aviv and also in Gaza City began gathering earlier in the day in anticipation of the second such exchange between Israel and Hamas since a ceasefire began in the Gaza Strip last weekend.

The excitement in Israel was palpable, with TV stations filled with live reports from smiling news anchors and reporters interviewing ecstatic friends and relatives of the hostages.

The truce is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and the militant group.

The fragile deal has so far held, quieting airstrikes and rockets and allowing for increased aid to flow into the tiny coastal territory.

When the ceasefire started on Sunday, three hostages held by the militants were released in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners, all women and children.

Who are the soldiers and prisoners being released?

The four Israeli soldiers, Karina Ariev, 20, Daniella Gilboa, 20, Naama Levy, 20, and Liri Albag, 19, were captured in Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war.

In exchange, Israel was to release 200 prisoners, including 121 who were serving life sentences, according to a list released by Hamas. Of those, the list indicated that 70 would be expelled from Gaza and the West bank but did not say where.

The more notorious militants being released include Mohammad Odeh, 52, and Wael Qassim, 54, both from east Jerusalem. They were accused of carrying out a series of deadly Hamas attacks against Israelis, including a bombing at a cafeteria at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2002 that killed nine people, including five US citizens.

The four soldiers released were taken from Nahal Oz base near the border with Gaza when Palestinian militants overran it, killing more than 60 soldiers there.

The female abductees had all served in a unit of lookouts charged with monitoring threats along the border. A fifth female soldier in their unit, Agam Berger, 20, was abducted with them but not included in the list.

Israel's military issued a statement on Saturday morning saying that preparations had been completed to receive the hostages and provide them medical care and personal support at the initial reception points, then transfer them to hospitals and reunite them with their families.

"This is huge," said Gaza City resident Radwan Abu Rawiya, one of thousands who watched the hostages turned over in Palestine Square.

"People forgot about the war, destruction and are celebrating," he said.

In a televised statement, Israel's army spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari confirmed the released hostages were in Israeli hands and on their way home, while criticising what he called the "cynical" public display of the young women by Hamas before their release.

He also said that Israel is concerned about the fate of the two youngest hostages — Kfir and Ariel Bibas — and their mother Shiri. Kfir Bibas marked his second birthday in captivity earlier this month.

Hagari said the army is committed to bringing all hostages home.

What's next in the ceasefire deal

After the swap, Israel is expected to begin pulling back from the Netzarim corridor — an east-west road dividing Gaza in two — and allowing displaced Palestinians in the south to return to their former homes in the north for the first time since the beginning of the war.

Palestinians will only be allowed to move north on foot, with vehicular traffic restricted until later in the ceasefire.

The Hamas-run interior ministry said displaced Palestinians will be allowed to return to northern Gaza starting on Sunday.

In a statement on Saturday, the ministry, which oversees police forces, said Palestinians will be able to move between southern and northern Gaza on foot through the coastal Rashid road.

What happens after the deal's initial six-week phase is uncertain, but many hope it will lead to the end of a war that has leveled wide swaths of Gaza, displaced the vast majority of its population and left hundreds of thousands of people at risk of famine.

The conflict began with a cross-border attack led by Hamas on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militants killed some 1200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 250 others hostage.

More than 100 hostages were freed in a weeklong truce the following month. But dozens have remained in captivity for over a year with no contact with the outside world. Israel believes at least a third of the more than 90 captives still inside Gaza were killed in the initial attack or died in captivity.

While many rejoiced in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square after the four soldiers were released Saturday, some worried about the fate of those still in captivity.

"It's hard that she's still there," said Yoni Collins, a family friend of Agam Berger, the fifth female soldier taken from Nahal Oz base who's still being held in Gaza.

"There were five girls, four are out and now she's there alone," he said. "We're just waiting for her to come home."

Israel's air and ground war, one of the deadliest and most destructive in decades, has killed over 47,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not say how many were militants. They say women and children make up more than half the fatalities.

Former AFL footballer and charity co-founder Neale Daniher AO has been named the Australian of the Year for 2025.

Daniher was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2013, and was told the average lifespan for patients was about three years.

Defying that expectation, he has worked tirelessly for more than 10 years to raise money and awareness of MND, in the hopes of one day finding a cure.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese presented him with the award during tonight's ceremony in Canberra.

Daniher presented a prerecorded acceptance speech as his condition has removed his ability to speak.

The 63-year-old said he was deeply honoured to accept the title.

"This recognition isn't just for me," he said.

"It belongs to the entire MND community, the families, the carers, the researchers, the volunteers, all those at the FightMND Foundation and MND state associations, and the countless Australians who have joined us in this fight.

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"It also belongs to my family, headed by my wife Jan, our children and their partners who have been with us every step of the way on this challenging journey.

Daniher described MND as 'a beast of a disease'.

"It doesn't discriminate. It robs you of your ability to move, speak, swallow, and eventually breathe," he said.

"But it did something else, too. It lit a fire within me. A determination to fight for those who are currently affected, and those who will face it after me. I chose to fight because if I didn't, how could I expect anyone else to? 

"I chose to hope because I believe in the decency and generosity of Australians.

"I thought, if people truly understood the challenges we face and joined the fight with me, and you have.

"Oh, how you have." 

Daniher played for Essendon in the AFL and went on to coach the Melbourne Demons.

Following his diagnosis, he co-founded the charity FightMND in 2014, which has raised and invested more than $115 million into medical research for the condition.

The annual Big Freeze ice bath event at the MCG is part of his ongoing fundraising efforts.

Daniher said he has a vision of a world without MND.

"This disease is not incurable. It is simply underfunded and misunderstood," he said in his speech.

"With focus, funding and unwavering determination, we can change that.

"I know that this nomination will help grow awareness for our cause together, as Australians, we can continue this fight against the beast and one day achieve our vision, a world without MND.

Scientist and industrial chemist Doctor Katrina Wruck was named the 2025 Young Australian of the Year.

Wheelchairs for Kids charity co-founder Brother Thomas Oliver Pickett AM was named 2025 Senior Australian of the Year.

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