Zakaria Zubeidi, a former leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, was released as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Zubeidi,

Zakaria Zubeidi, A prominent leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), and a former member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council, was released Thursday as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Zakaria Zubeidi, whose mother and brother were killed by Israeli troops, is a symbol of resistance to some Palestinians. A man who generates extraordinarily varied responses, he was mobbed by supporters on his release from prison.

Zakaria Zubeidi, a former Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades leader, is among the second group of Palestinian detainees to be freed on Saturday.

Zakaria Zubeidi, a former Palestinian militant leader, was released as part of a ceasefire deal. Known for his role in the Second Intifada, his release underscores shifting Israeli military focus to the West Bank.

Hamas-led militants freed eight hostages on Thursday in the latest release since a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip took hold earlier this month. Israel was expected to release another 110 Palestinian prisoners.

As part of the swap, Palestinian militants in Gaza freed five Thai and three Israeli hostages, handing them over to the Red Cross amid chaotic crowds.

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

Hamas freed three Israeli and five Thai hostages in Gaza on Thursday and Israel began releasing 110 Palestinian prisoners after delaying the process in anger at the swarming crowds at one of the hostage handover points.

Israel and Hamas say the militant group will release three Israelis, including two women and an 80-year-old man, along with five Thai nationals in the next hostage release on Thursday

The prisoners released were all men, ranging in age from 15 to 69, with nearly two dozen serving life sentences for more egregious crimes transferred to Egypt before further deportation.