Israel releases Palestinian prisoners after delay over chaotic hostage handover

Freed prisoner Zakaria Zubeidi, a former high-profile commander of the Fatah group's Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, gestures after being released from an Israeli jail as part of a hostages-prisoners swap and a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, January 30, 2025. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta

CAIRO/JERUSALEM/RAMALLAH (Reuters): Hamas freed three Israeli and five Thai hostages in Gaza on Thursday and Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners after delaying the process in anger at the swarming crowds at one of the hostage handover points.

Arbel Yehoud, 29, abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz in the Hamas-led assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, looked fearful and struggled to walk through the crowd as armed fighters handed her to the Red Cross in a tense scene in the southern city of Khan Younis.