Mr. Zubeidi, who was also once a theater director, stunned Israelis and Palestinians alike when he and others broke out of jail in 2021.

Two Israelis and five Thai nationals were released as part of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel that began Jan. 19.

Israeli leaders delayed the release of more than hundred Palestinians as agreed over concerns with how the eight Israeli hostages were released.

Israel instructed buses carrying Palestinian detainees slated for release under the Gaza ceasefire deal with Hamas to return to prisons, an official involved in the operation told Reuters on Thursday.

Eight hostages − three Israelis and five Thai nationals − were returned to Israel on Thursday after spending 482 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza. They were freed in an at-times chaotic handover in connection with a weeks-long ceasefire and hostages-for-prisoners swap between Israel and the militant group aimed at ending 15 months of fighting.

By Nandita Bose, Kanishka Singh and Nidal al-Mughrabi ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE/Cairo (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said Jordan and Egypt should take in Palestinians from war-ravaged Gaza, a suggestion rejected by Hamas,

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

Five Thai hostages have been released after 15 months of captivity in the Gaza Strip. On Thursday, dozens of doctors, nurses and representatives from Israel and Thailand waved flags, sang, and cheered

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.

Israel on Thursday formally banned the main United Nations aid agency for Palestinian refugees from operating on its territory despite heavy diplomatic backlash, a move that humanitarian officials warn could have a disastrous impact on aid delivery and jeopardize regional stability in the long term.