Hamas set to free three Israeli hostages in latest phase of ceasefire deal

A family rides in a horse-drawn cart past a destroyed mosque in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip (Jehad Alshrafi/AP)

Hamas was set to free three more Israeli hostages and five Thai captives on Thursday, and Israel was expected to release another 110 Palestinian prisoners, in the third such exchange since a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip took hold earlier this month.

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