Israel releases Palestinian prisoners after Hamas frees eight hostages

A crowd surrounds Red Cross cars as they arrive at the site for the handover of Thai and Israeli hostages (Jehad Alshrafi/AP)

Israel has released 110 Palestinian prisoners after eight hostages in the Gaza Strip were freed by Hamas-led militants earlier in the day.

It was a sometimes chaotic process that briefly called the exchange into question and underscored the fragility of a ceasefire that began earlier this month.