The Red Cross on Thursday called for "improvements" in the security of the handovers to Israel of captives held by Hamas in Gaza after chaotic scenes earlier in the day.

Hamas Saturday freed four Israeli female soldiers after 477 days of captivity in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Army said. The soldiers crossed into Israeli territory before reuniting with their families after their captivity ended thanks to the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel,

Israeli and Palestinian supporters in Texas welcome the tenuous halt to the war sparked by a 2023 attack with cautious optimism.

The four women – Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag – were marched onto a podium where they waved and smiled – likely under duress. They were then led into ICRC vehicles, which transported them to Israeli forces.

Israel says three Israelis and five Thai nationals were freed in what PM Benjamin Netanyahu called "shocking scenes".

GAZA/JERUSALEM - The Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement on Saturday released the second batch of Israeli hostages, four women who were received by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza City.

Chaotic scenes enveloped the three hostages from Israel who were handed over to the Red Cross Sunday by masked Hamas militants wearing green headbands in a packed Gaza City square.A dense crowd of Palestinians had gathered to watch the moment,

A second batch of 200 Palestinian prisoners was released on Saturday under a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel. Televised footage showed the arrival of 114 prisoners to the West Bank city of Ramallah from the Ofer Military Prison aboard three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) buses.

Follow NBC News live updates for the latest coverage of the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.

The exchange is part of a deal between Israel and Hamas that will see a total of 33 hostages returned to Israel in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

JERUSALEM: Buses carrying freed Palestinian prisoners arrived to cheers in the occupied West Bank on Thursday (Jan 30), after chaos during the release by Gaza militants of three Israeli hostages and