Israel exchanges 110 Palestinian prisoners for eight hostages held by Hamas

Israel has released 110 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for eight hostages being held by Hamas, the third such swap since the ceasefire in Gaza came into effect.

The exchange of hostages for prisoners is a key part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement aimed at ending the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas.

The former prisoners were met by thousands of cheering Palestinians as they were bussed into the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Hamas has so far released 15 hostages since 19 January, when the ceasefire came into effect. The 110 Palestinians released on Thursday bring the total of prisoners freed by Israel to 400.

But Israel delayed their release in protest against the way the hostages were treated as they were handed over to Red Cross staff in Khan Younis.

The hostages were led through chaotic scenes of cheering crowds, escorted by armed gunmen.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a sharp rebuke, warning of consequences if any of the hostages were harmed.

"During the release of our hostages today, we all saw shocking sights. We made it clear to the mediators that we do not intend to accept any risk to our hostages. And I add to that: whoever dares to harm our hostages – may his blood be on his head," he said in a televised statement.

Thursday's hostage release saw three Israelis and five Thai nationals freed from captivity.

The Israeli hostages were 20-year-old Agam Berger, Arbel Yehud, 29, and 80-year-old Gadi Moses.

Moses was immediately transferred to a hospital in Tel Aviv, where his condition is said to be good.

"After initial evaluation, I'm happy to say that his condition is quite good and stable. It allows him to spend the first hours here with his family in a private environment, they can talk, they can be together, they can rest a little from this very exciting and not easy day," said Professor Gil Fire, the deputy director of the Ichilov Medical Centre.

The five Thai agricultural workers — Pongsak Thaenna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Seathao and Surasak Lamnao — were taken to a hospital in central Israel for medical checks.

They were met at the Shamir Medical Centre by Thailand's ambassador to Israel, Pannabha Chandraramya.

Meanwhile, a law passed last year by the Knesset banning the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, from operating within Israeli territory also came into force on Thursday.

The agency said it had received no official communication from Israeli authorities about how the ban would be implemented, but a day earlier, around 25 international staffers left Jerusalem and decamped to the Jordanian capital, Amman.

"It's like a nightmare scenario. And it's also completely outlandish that a member state of the United Nations system would choose to undo the mandate of an organisation which, let's not forget, is mandated by the UN General Assembly," said UNRWA spokesperson Jonathan Fowler.

The immediate concern now is aid for Gaza, the majority of which comes from UNRWA, and part of phase one of the ceasefire deal makes provision for a marked increase in aid deliveries to the Strip. 

"We're responsible for over half of deliveries inside the Gaza Strip. Over half of the aid coming in. UNRWA has been described repeatedly, not by ourselves, but by others as the backbone of the international aid operation," Fowler said.

"Because the rest of the aid operation is just the UN presence, is just a few hundred people. Without UNRWA being able to operate, there's a very real risk of this humanitarian operation collapsing," he added.

Israel has long been at odds with UNRWA, claiming its existence has prolonged the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

It also alleges that around a dozen of UNRWA’s 13,000 employees in Gaza participated in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza and that many others support or sympathise with the militant group.

The agency denies knowingly aiding armed groups and says it acts quickly to purge any suspected militants among its staff.