Masked Hamas gunmen freed a first wave of hostages Friday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, sparking rare scenes of celebration in a seven-week war that has killed thousands of people.
Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel in exchange for a first group of hostages were greeted amid fireworks in the West Bank on Friday. A total of 39 Palestinian prisoners have returned to their homes, under a truce that also allowed the release of 13 Israeli hostages, kidnapped on 7 October by the Islamist movement Hamas. Since the bloody Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians according to Israeli authorities, some 15,000 people have died in Gaza, according to the Hamas government.
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Rights group say that there has been a record high number of arrests of Palestinians since Hamas launched its bloody 7 October attack on southern Israel
Hamas fighters are set to release a new wave of hostages Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, officials said, offering hope to anguished families after seven weeks of war that have killed…