KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas freed eight hostages on Thursday as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but the chaotic handover of some of the captives, who were shuttled through a rowdy crowd of thousands by masked militants, drew an angry protest from Israel.

Follow NBC News live updates for the latest coverage of the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.

Steven Witkoff, who played an important role in brokering the truce between Israel and Hamas, also met with Israel’s prime minister and visited Saudi Arabia.

The return of fighters to Gaza streets highlights how Israeli bombardment has failed to achieve Netanyahu’s goal or eradicating Hamas as a political force.

Hamas freed the first of eight hostages on Thursday in the latest release since a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip took hold earlier this month.

“Gaza, with its great people and its resilience, will rise again to rebuild what the occupation has destroyed and continue on the path of steadfastness until the occupation is defeated,” Hamas said in a statement after the cease-fire.

Life expectancy in the Gaza Strip was nearly cut in half in the first year of the war between Israel and Hamas, a new study has estimated.

Hamas-led militants freed eight hostages on Thursday as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but the chaotic handover of some of the captives, who were shuttled through a rowdy crowd of thousands by masked militants,

Israel has failed to eliminate Hamas, a key goal of its war in Gaza, and the militant group has reasserted its rule in Gaza. Can that situation last?

The return to the status quo was clearly evident Sunday when the terrorist group and its supporters brazenly paraded around Gaza City’s Saraya Square during the first day of the cease-fire,

A small U.S. security firm is hiring about 100 U.S. Special Forces veterans to help guard a Gaza crossing during a truce between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, according to a company spokesman and a hiring email seen by Reuters.