RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories — A bus carrying a group of Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel in exchange for Gaza hostages arrived on Saturday in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, an AFP journalist said.

Part of the fifth hostage-prisoner swap under a fragile Gaza truce, the released inmates stepped off the bus one by one to a cheering crowd who had gathered since the morning in Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority.

Hamas handed over three Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Gaza on Saturday as part of the fifth such hostage-prisoner swap under an ongoing ceasefire with Israel, an AFP journalist reported.

Hostages Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami were released after they were brought onto a stage in the central Gaza city of Deir El Balah by masked Hamas fighters.