JERUSALEM/GAZA, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Israel agreed on Thursday to release 110 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 minors, reversing an earlier decision to delay the exchange. The move followed the release of three Israeli and five Thai hostages by Hamas under the ongoing Gaza ceasefire.

The decision came despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's initial suspension of the prisoner release, citing security concerns during a chaotic handover of hostages in southern Gaza.

Mediation efforts helped salvage the third round of hostage-prisoner exchanges between Israel and Hamas.

The day's exchange began with the release of Agam Berger, a 20-year-old Israeli soldier captured during Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on the Nahal Oz base. Footage showed her in a khaki uniform emerging from damaged buildings in Jabalia, northern Gaza, before being transferred to Israeli custody.

In Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Hamas released two more Israelis -- Arbel Yahoud, 29, and Gadi Mozes, 80 -- along with five Thai agricultural workers. The Thai hostages, identified as Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat, and Rumnao Surasak, had been working in southern Israel when they were taken captive.

Scenes of chaos unfolded as hundreds of Gazans gathered, and militants struggled to control the crowd. Netanyahu condemned the "shocking scenes" and urged international mediators to ensure safe hostage transfers.

Following the hostages' release, Netanyahu's office initially delayed the Palestinian prisoner release, demanding guarantees for the safety of future releases. Israeli media reported that buses carrying Palestinian prisoners were ordered to turn back. However, about an hour later, Israel resumed the exchange after mediators secured assurances.

At Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, where weekly protests call for a ceasefire-for-hostages deal, crowds celebrated the latest releases while displaying photos of those still held in Gaza. Some hostages, including those believed to be dead, are expected to be freed in later phases of the agreement.

Steve Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, who is in Israel for talks with Netanyahu and other officials, visited the Hostage Square and spoke with families of the captives. He expressed optimism about the deal's continuation and suggested an American-Israeli hostage might be released Friday, ahead of the next scheduled exchange on Saturday.

This was the third exchange since the Gaza ceasefire began on Jan. 19. Netanyahu remains under pressure from far-right coalition partner Bezalel Smotrich to resume military operations before the deal is completed.

All released hostages underwent medical evaluations in Israel. Mozes, kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was reported in good condition at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, while Berger was taken to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva.

More than 60 Israeli hostages and 290 Palestinian prisoners have been exchanged under the truce. Israel insists the ceasefire will not derail its broader campaign against Hamas, while mediators push to extend the pause in fighting. Thursday's events underscored the fragility of the deal as both sides navigate distrust and competing demands. Enditem

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