Hamas released six more Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip late on Thursday in addition to two female hostages released earlier in the day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

The eight hostages are the latest batch to be released under a temporary four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which started last Friday and has been extended for three days.  

The Israel Prison Service said 30 Palestinians had been released in the seventh swap of Gaza truce, Reuters reported.

(With input from Xinhua)