Four female Israeli soldiers held hostage by Hamas have returned to Israel after militants paraded them in front of a crowd of thousands in Gaza City.

TEL AVIV — Hundreds gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square and New York City’s Central Park to celebrate ... and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, left Gaza after more than 15 months in captivity.

TEL AVIV/CAIRO (Reuters) -Israel approved a ceasefire deal with Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday that involves releasing hostages in the Gaza Strip, and Israeli forces carried out new attacks in the enclave before the agreement's scheduled start on Sunday.

Hamas freed four female Israeli hostages on Saturday, in the second round of a deal between Israel and Hamas which also saw about 200 Palestinian prisoners released.

Hamas released four Israeli female soldiers to the Red Cross in Gaza City, parading them publicly before their transfer, as part of a ceasefire agreement.

Hamas released Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Karina Ariev and Daniella Gilboa on Saturday. Israel released 200 Palestinian prisoners.

As they were released, hundreds of people cheered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square where they were watching the drama unfold on a big screen television.

The truce is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and the militant group. The fragile deal has so far held, quieting airstrikes and rockets and allowing for increased aid to flow into the tiny coastal territory.

When the mother of one of the Thai hostages held in the Gaza Strip for over a year caught sight of her son on a Facebook livestream

Eight more hostages were freed from the Gaza Strip by Hamas-led militants on Thursday in a sometimes chaotic process that briefly delayed Israel's release of 110 Palestinian prisoners and underscored the fragility of the ceasefire that began earlier this month.

Hamas released eight hostages on Thursday — five Thai farm workers and three dual German-Israeli nationals — in exchange for 110 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.