Crowds of spectators gathered around vehicles carrying hostages in southern Gaza on Thursday, raising fears the captives wouldn’t be released safely.

The ceasefire agreement between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah is in new jeopardy Sunday as various groups slow walk responsibilities under the deal.

A female Israeli soldier is released as the next hostage-prisoner exchange gets underway amid the ceasefire in Gaza.

Israel says a Hamas list shows that eight of the 33 hostages to be released in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire are dead.

Hamas is set to free three more Israeli hostages as well as five Thai captives, and Israel is to release another 110 Palestinian prisoners, in the third such exchange since a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip took hold earlier this month.

Both the Trump and Biden administrations have publicly claimed credit for pushing the agreement over the line.

Hamas released four Israeli hostages in Gaza early Saturday in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners to be released later in the day. It was the second release to occur as part of the ceasefire agreement that began last weekend. Israel followed with the release of 200 Palestinian prisoners.

The fragility of the truce between Israel and Hamas was laid bare on Saturday, after Israel accused Hamas of withholding a hostage, prompting a halt in the movement of Gazan civilians back to their homes in the north.

When the mother of one of the Thai hostages held in the Gaza Strip for over a year caught sight of her son on a Facebook livestream after his release Thursday, he had changed so much that she didn't recognise him at first.

Long lines of Palestinians -- some kneeling to kiss the soil as they stepped into the northern part of the strip -- were making their way home on Monday.

Israeli army has stated that eight hostages, including three Israelis and five foreign nationals, held in Gaza were freed on Thursday as part of the third phase of a ceasefire and prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas.