Three more Israelis held captive in the Gaza Strip were freed as part of a shaky ceasefire deal - but observers noted that one was forced to hold an hourglass over a photograph of another man who is still being held captive.

       The deal requires Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange, according to the country's military.

       The three men were apparently were handed over to the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip before being taken to Israel for medical treatment and to be reunited with relatives. As he was released, Mr Horn held an hourglass above a photo of another hostage, Matan Zangauker and his mother. The poster was accompanied by the caption: “Time is running out.”

       Pictures earlier showed large crowds are gathering in Gaza prior to the release, with gunmen on the streets.

       The truce that began nearly four weeks ago had been jeopardised in recent days by a tense dispute that threatened to renew the fighting.

       US President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to remove more than two million Palestinians from Gaza and settle them elsewhere in the region has cast even more doubt on the future of the ceasefire. Mr Trump has said all hostages should be released by noon today local time (10am) or he would propose cancelling the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and "let hell break out".

       But Hamas said Thursday it would move ahead with the release of more hostages after talks with Egyptian and Qatari officials. The group said the mediators had pledged to “remove all hurdles” to assure Israel would allow more tents, medical supplies and other essentials into Gaza.

       It will be the sixth swap since the ceasefire took effect on January 19. So far, 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners have been freed during the first phase of the truce. Of the 251 people abducted on October 7, 2023, 73 remain in Gaza, around half of whom are believed to be dead. Nearly all the remaining hostages are men, including Israeli soldiers.

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