The BBC reporter Alan Johnston has been freed after nearly four months in captivity in the Gaza Strip. Johnston was released following an undisclosed deal between Gaza’s Hamas-led government and his captors. Hours after his release, Johnston spoke from Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s offices in Gaza.

Alan Johnston: “There are just hardly the words to say how relieved I am that this thing has ended, that I am free again. I dreamt of being free, literally dreamt many, many nights, and now I’m out. And it is, as I say, almost difficult to describe how good this moment feels. And I’m grateful to so many people that have worked to try to bring this about, people — the Hamas movement, who did a great deal putting a huge amount of pressure on the kidnappers in the last few weeks, especially Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, from the beginning, making clear that he didn’t, in any way, approve of this kidnapping and kept insisting that it had to end and kept looking for ways to end it.”