GEOFF BENNETT: The day's other headlines start in the Middle East, where Hamas freed eight hostages and Israel handed over more than 100 Palestinian prisoners in a third round of exchanges.

Israel briefly held up its side of the swap after a chaotic handover in Gaza.

Video shows a crowd surrounding the van carrying several of the hostages.

One of them was visibly shaken as she was escorted through the mass of people.

Later, buses of Palestinians set to be released were seen leaving an Israeli prison.

Israel's prime minister said he secured a guarantee from mediators that future handovers would be done safely.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israeli Prime Minister: During the release of our hostages today, we all saw shocking scenes.

We made it clear to the mediators that we do not intend to accept any risk to our hostages, and I will add, whoever dares to harm them will pay the price.

GEOFF BENNETT: The hostages released today included Agam Berger, plus the German-Israeli nationals Arbel Yehud and Gadi Moses.

Five Thai farmworkers were also released.

They had been working in Southern Israel when they were kidnapped by Hamas.

Israel's ban on the U.N. Palestinian aid agency UNRWA took effect today.

GEOFF BENNETT: In East Jerusalem, outside of UNRWA's headquarters, far right Israeli activists celebrated with champagne toasts.

In October, Israel banned UNRWA from operating inside the country, saying the group had been infiltrated by Hamas, which it denies.

Humanitarian officials say the move could have a devastating impact on aid deliveries in the region.

A U.N. spokesperson says UNRWA was still delivering aid today, despite the ban.

Officials in Ukraine say a Russian drone attack killed at least six people in the northeastern city of Sumy overnight.

Nine others were injured.

Regional authorities say a drone slammed into an apartment building, blowing out a wall and windows.

Following the deaths, the city announced two days of mourning.

Ukraine's air force says Russia launched more than 80 drones overnight, but most were shot down or otherwise missed their targets.

Back in this country, a U.S. appeals court ruled today that a decades-old federal ban on handgun sales to adults under the age of 21 violates the Second Amendment.

The court found that the ban is inconsistent with the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that established a more conservative test for assessing firearm laws.

The original measure was adopted by Congress back in 1968.

Today's ruling comes from the same court that had upheld the ban as recently as 2012.

On Wall Street today, stocks posted modest gains after the latest reading on America's GDP showed solid gains last quarter.

The Dow Jones industrial average added nearly 170 points on the day.

The Nasdaq tacked on about 50 points.

The S&P 500 also ended in positive territory.

NASA's two stuck astronauts were able to stretch their legs a bit, taking their first space walk together.

SUNI WILLIAMS, Starliner Test Flight Astronaut: All right, thank you.

BUTCH WILMORE, Starliner Test Flight Astronaut: You bet.

GEOFF BENNETT: Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore floated outside the International Space Station to perform maintenance work about 260 miles above the Earth.

It's the second space walk for Williams this mission, but the first for Wilmore, though he has done such walks on prior trips to space.

The pair were only supposed to be aboard the ISS for about a week when they arrived last June, but technical problems extended their stay.

They're now due back on Earth in late March or early April.

And British singer and actress Marianne Faithfull has died.

Considered the it girl of the swinging '60s, she was once the girlfriend of Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger.

Jagger and Keith Richards penned her breakthrough hit, 1964's "As Tears Go By."

She in turn became their muse, inspiring and even helping to write some of their greatest songs.

Faithfull also acted on the stage and on screens big and small.

Her life was marked by the highs of fame and the lows of drug addiction, even homelessness.

That journey was the focus of her memoir released in 1994.

Marianne Faithfull was 78 years old.

Still to come on the "News Hour": Congo's foreign minister discusses the growing war in the country's east; and musician Neko Case reveals her difficult journey to indy stardom in a new memoir.