Naama Levy, one of the four IDF soldiers released from Hamas captivity on Saturday, writes a message of gratitude in her first statement since arriving home.

The female Israeli hostages who were freed on Saturday disobeyed their Hamas captors and made victory poses during the hand off ceremony to spoil the terrorists’ show, one of their fathers,

Emily Damari, one of the first hostages freed by Hamas in the cease-fire agreement, is speaking out for the first time following her release.

Two hundred Palestinian prisoners have also been released today by Israel in the latest stage of a ceasefire deal.

Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher were the first three hostages released from Gaza on Sunday morning. They arrived in Israel, the military announced, hours after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold.

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

Hamas is rushing to reassert control over the territory it has ruled since 2007. Its leaders are exuberant—at least in public. In private, they are arguing bitterly. The war has deepened a longtime struggle between the group’s political and military leaders and has saddled it with enormous challenges.

Benjamin Netanyahu decried the “unimaginable cruelty” of Hamas after a mob abused and threatened an Israeli hostage during her release on Thursday. Arbel Yehud, 29, appeared pale and terrified as she was paraded through a screaming group of Hamas supporters in southern Gaza, escorted by armed and masked members of the terrorist organisation.

The increasingly theatrical and threatening events have angered Israel and put a cease-fire deal at risk.

The ceasefire is aimed at eventually ending the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas.

Israel briefly suspended the release of Palestinian prisoners after chaotic crowds mobbed two of the captives.

In our news wrap Thursday, Hamas freed eight hostages and Israel handed over more than 100 Palestinian prisoners in a third round of exchanges, officials in Ukraine say a Russian drone attack killed at least six people in the northeastern city of Sumy and an appeals court ruled a federal ban on handgun sales to adults under 21 violates the Second Amendment.