Analysis: The drama in Gaza created another road bump in this fragile ceasefire deal
By Alistair Bunkall, Middle East correspondent
The scenes in Khan Younis were chaotic, as seven of the hostages were led by masked and armed Hamas fighters and jostled through a crowd of hundreds trying to take photos.
The hostages, mostly invisible within the crowd, looked disorientated and frightened when they could briefly be seen.
Benjamin Netanyahu, watching on television, was reportedly furious and ordered the release of Palestinian prisoners be paused until Israel received guarantees those scenes wouldn’t happen again.
Apparently reassured, the 110 Palestinian prisoners were released as planned but slightly later in the day.
The drama in Gaza was unseemly and unnecessary, and created another road-bump for this fragile ceasefire deal.
But Palestinians point towards Israel’s use of tear gas against crowds in the West Bank celebrating the release of their prisoners as double standards.
Neither side has any trust in the other, which is no surprise, and both want to control the public narrative.
Yet whilst the bumps and disagreements create moments of concern, successful resolutions can also create confidence that the ceasefire is at least strong enough to overcome these issues.
How many times can that remain the case, though?
As Israel continues to receive more of its living hostages home, and as negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire deal come closer, many in Israel, particularly on the far right, will argue that the images of Hamas gunmen parading in Gaza and the tricks being pulled by the group, are reason enough to return to fighting.