HAMAS-LED militants freed eight hostages on Thursday as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but the chaotic handover of some of the captives, who were shuttled through a rowdy crowd of thousands by masked militants,drewanangryprotest from Israel. Israelwassupposedtorelease 110 Palestinian prisoners later in the day, including around 30 serving life sentences for deadlyattacksagainstIsraelis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put that on hold, demanding that mediators assure the safe exit for hostages in Gaza going forward. Crowds of Palestinians— the relativesandfriendsofreleased prisonersbutalsoscoresofjubilantsupporters—mobbedbuses carrying the prisoners, making it almost impossible forthe released prisoners to step off the buses.

 

The released prisoners, all in grey Israeli prison sweatsuits, were hoistedimmediately onto the shoulders of the Palestinians who greeted them.Israelbeganreleasing110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursdayaftereighthostagesin theGazaStripwerefreedbymilitants earlier in the day in a sometimeschaoticprocess that briefly called the exchange into question and underscored the fragilityofaceasefirethatbegan this month. The prisoners released include 30 serving life sentences for deadly attacks against Israelis. Some are allowed to return to the occupiedWestBank,whilethoseconvicted of more serious crimes are being transferred to Egypt before further deportation. Their releases began late ThursdayaftermilitantsinGaza freedthreeIsraelisandfiveThai nationals,whowereworkingon farms in southern Israel when taken hostage more than 15 months ago.

 

The releases are part of a ceasefire aimed at ending the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas, and securing the releaseofdozensmorehostages abducted in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, that ignited the war. Scuffles erupted as the convoy of buses carrying the Palestinian prisoners departed from their Israeli prison in the West Bank. Palestinian teenagers threw stones outside the complex and Israeli forces firedteargasastheytriedtoclear thearea.ThreePalestinianswere woundedinthe confrontations outside the prison, according to Palestinian Red Crescent, which said Israeli forces had usedgunfire andstungrenades to disperse crowds. As Red Cross buses approached, the families of Palestinian prisoners caught theirfirstglimpsesoftheirloved ones through the bus windshields, some shattered in the melee of stone-throwing and tear gas-firing. Zakaria Zubeidi — a prominentformermilitant leaderand theater director who took part in a dramatic jailbreak in 2021 beforebeingrearresteddayslater — woreagrey prison jumpsuit and flashed a victory sign from inside one of the buses. The uproar came hours after a chaotic hostage handover in the Gaza Strip, where masked militants shuttled some captives through a rowdy crowd of thousands of Palestinians. Hamas released seven of the hostages in front of the destroyed home of its slain leader, Yahya Sinwar, as thousands pressed in.

 

The militant group called it a “message of determination,” butittriggered the latest in a series of disputes that have sent US and Arab mediators scrambling to patch up the truce. The first hostage — female soldier Agam Berger, 20 — was released after Hamas paraded herin front of a smallercrowdintheheavilydestroyed urban Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. Hours later, a chaotic scene unfolded at a handover of the other seveninthe southern city of Khan Younis. Hundreds of militants from Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group arrivedwithaconvoy,andthousands of people gathered to watch, some from the tilted rooftops of bombed-out buildings.

 

Footage showed hostage Arbel Yehoud, 29, looking stunned as masked militants hustled her through the shoutingcrowd,pushingpeopleback. Also released were Gadi Moses, an 80-year-old Israeli man, and five Thai laborers. BothYehoud and Moses are dual GermanIsraeli nationals. Netanyahu condemned the “shocking scenes” and called on international mediators to ensure the safety of hostages in future releases. Israel identified the Thai hostages released as: Watchara Sriaoun, 33; Pongsak Thaenna, 36; Sathian Suwannakham, 35; Surasak Rumnao, 32; and Bannawat Saethao, 27. Thai officials said they appeared to be in good health.