People greet freed Palestinian prisoners as they arrive in Gaza after their release from Israeli prison, outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Monday. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP

Israel freed almost 2,000 Palestinians from its jails on Monday as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal , prompting emotional scenes of families reunited with loved ones, some of whom had spent decades behind bars.

More than 1,700 of those released were detainees who had been held without charge by Israeli forces in Gaza since the start of the war, which began with the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. Another 250 prisoners had been serving long sentences for convictions in serious crimes, including murder. Some alleged they had been regularly beaten while in Israeli prisons after their release on Monday

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