Relief as Prisoners and Captives Return Home

Marah Bakeer, right, a former Palestinian prisoner who was released by the Israeli authorities, is welcome at her family house in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina

By Abubakr Al-Shamahi and Kevin Doyle

25 Nov 2023

Thirty-nine Palestinians and 13 Israelis were welcomed home after release from Israeli prisons and captivity in Gaza, respectively. Ten Thais and one Filipino were also released from Gaza and will soon be travelling home.

Israeli Prime Minister’s Office says it has received a list of captives to be released on Saturday, the second day of the four-day truce.

Palestinians in Gaza enjoy a night free from Israeli attacks, although happiness is mixed with uncertainty at what follows the brief truce.

More than 14,800 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7. In Israel, the official death toll from Hamas’s attack stands at 1,200.