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

Hamas freed three Israelis and five Thai nationals in exchange for more than 100 Palestinians. But the militant group struggled to control crowds, prompting a delay.

The truce is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas, whose Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel sparked the fighting.

The chaotic release of several hostages in Khan Younis Thursday was described by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu as “shocking.”

An Israeli hostage held for more than a year by Hamas in Gaza was released Thursday morning, marking the first of eight hostages held by the Iran-proxy militia expected to be released throughout t

Eight of the remaining hostages set to be released by Hamas in the first phase of a ceasefire agreement with Israel are dead, according to an Israeli government spokesperson.

Israeli authorities announced Wednesday that they had arrested 12 Palestinians in East Jerusalem for celebrating the release of prisoners over the weekend under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal. The arrests were made late Tuesday following the circulation of videos earlier in the week,

The hostage release in Gaza took a dramatic turn as Hamas freed eight more captives, including an Israeli female soldier, a 29-year-old woman, an 80-year-old man, and five Thai laborers. However, chaotic handovers in crowded areas led Israel to delay releasing Palestinian prisoners.