Hamas militants released three male hostages being held in the Gaza Strip on Saturday and Israel began releasing 183 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, part of a ceasefire deal that has halted 15 months of intense fighting.

Israel has begun releasing a group of Palestinian prisoners after Hamas freed three hostages as part of the ceasefire deal that has halted 15 months of fighting in the Gaza Strip. View on euronews

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.