Hamas freed eight more hostages on Thursday as part of the ongoing ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but the chaotic handover, where masked militants shuffled captives through a rowdy crowd, led Israel to put the planned release of Palestinian prisoners on hold. Israel had been set to release 110 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 serving life sentences for attacks on Israelis, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the exchange would be delayed until the “safe release” of all hostages could be guaranteed.
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Under the terms of the truce, Hamas is set to free 33 Israeli hostages – roughly one third of those held -in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Additionally, Israel has agreed to pull back its forces from key cities and allow hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to their homes in Gaza.
Chaotic handover sparks Israeli protest
Thursday’s hostage release included an Israeli female soldier, a 29-year-old Israeli woman, an 80-year-old Israeli man, and five Thai laborers who were captured while working in southern Israel.
The first hostage, 20-year-old soldier Agam Berger, was paraded through a crowd in the heavily destroyed Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza before being released.
A more chaotic scene unfolded hours later in Khan Younis, where masked Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants arrived with a convoy, drawing thousands of spectators. Hostage Arbel Yehoud, visibly stunned, was hastily escorted through the shouting crowd, as militants pushed people back.
Friends of Yehoud, gathered in southern Israel, watched the tense scene unfold on live television, some crying and others covering their mouths in shock. When a news anchor described the situation as dangerous, one friend shouted, “shut up!” The group erupted into tears as Yehoud was finally handed over to the Red Cross.
Netanyahu condemned the “shocking scenes” and urged international mediators to ensure hostages’ safety in future releases.
The Israeli military confirmed all eight hostages were brought into Israel. The government released footage of Berger-one of five young female soldiers abducted on October 7-hugging and crying with her parents.
Prisoner releases and ceasefire terms
Among those set to be released from Israeli prisons is Zakaria Zubeidi, a former militant leader and theater director, who participated in a dramatic jailbreak in 2021 before being rearrested.
The US, Egypt, and Qatar—who brokered the ceasefire after a year of negotiations-helped resolve a dispute over Yehoud’s delayed release, securing her freedom on Thursday. Another three Israeli hostages, all men, are expected to be freed on Saturday, along with dozens more Palestinian prisoners.
Meanwhile, Israel has begun allowing Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, the most heavily devastated part of the region. Many are finding their homes reduced to rubble.
As part of the ceasefire’s first phase, Hamas is set to release 33 Israeli hostages, including women, children, elderly, and wounded individuals, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel says Hamas has confirmed that eight hostages set for release are already dead.
Palestinians have widely celebrated the prisoner releases, seeing them as sacrifices for their struggle against Israeli occupation.
Uncertain future as war looms
The truce also includes negotiations for a second phase, in which Hamas would release the remaining hostages and the ceasefire would continue indefinitely. However, if no agreement is reached, fighting could resume in early March.
While Israel has pulled back most of its forces from Gaza, it remains committed to dismantling Hamas. The group, meanwhile, swiftly reasserted control over Gaza once the truce took effect. Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners are already calling for the war to resume.
Hamas insists it will not release the remaining hostages unless Israel agrees to a full withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.
The conflict began on October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people-mostly civilians-and capturing roughly 250 hostages. Israel’s subsequent military offensive has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, over half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel claims to have killed more than 17,000 Hamas fighters, though it has not provided evidence.
The war has devastated Gaza, displacing 90% of its population. Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble, with hundreds of thousands now living in squalid tent camps. As talks continue, the fate of the ceasefire—and the remaining hostages—hangs in the balance.