The Israeli military confirmed that six Israeli hostages have been released from captivity in the Gaza Strip.
The army said the Red Cross transferred the hostages to Egypt late on Thursday. They arrived hours after two additional hostages were turned over to Israel separately.
From Egypt, the newly freed freed hostages were to be transferred to Israel to be reunited with their families after nearly eight weeks in captivity.
It marked the seventh straight night of hostage releases under a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Israel was to free 30 Palestinian prisoners later in the evening under the deal.
The cease-fire is set to expire early on Friday, though international mediators are working to extend it.
Roughly 140 hostages are believed to remain in Hamas captivity.
