Pics | Israel-Hamas hostage swap: Emotional scenes at West Bank, Jerusalem as over 300 Palestinians return

With just over two weeks left in the initial phase of the fragile Gaza ceasefire, Israel and Hamas completed their sixth exchange of hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners on Saturday. (Image credit: AP)

As the Red Cross minibus with over 300 Palestinian prisoners arrived from Israel, the kin swarmed the vehicle chanting "God is greatest". Almost every Palestinian knows a friend or family member who has been imprisoned by Israel, whether for militant attacks or lesser offenses like rock-throwing, protesting, or belonging to a banned political group. (Image credit: AP)

The Israeli Prison Service released Palestinian detainees wearing sweatshirts featuring a Star of David, the agency’s logo, and the phrase “Never forgive, never forget” written in Arabic. Upon their release into Gaza, some discarded the sweatshirts and set them on fire in protest. (Image credit: AP)

Of the prisoners released, 36 had been serving life sentences for involvement in deadly attacks against Israelis. However, only 12 were permitted to return to their homes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. (Image credit: AP)

While the Israeli Prison Service insists it upholds “all basic rights” and detains prisoners according to the law, former detainee Ibrahim Sarahneh described harsh conditions, upon his release in Beitunia, “The conditions of detention are more difficult than you could imagine. There is beating, insults, cursing.” (Image credit: AP)

Hamas released three Israeli hostages- Argentinian-Israeli Iair Horn, American-Israeli Sagui Dekel Chen and Russian-Israeli Alexander Troufanov. "Now, we can breathe a little. Our Iair is home after surviving hell in Gaza," his family said. (Image credit: AP)

IDF released images of the Israeli hostages reuniting with their loved ones, captioning it, "This Valentine’s Day holds new meaning for Sagui Dekel Chen and his wife Avital as they are finally reunited. Love is stronger than terrorism." (Right image) The left image shows another hostage Alexander meeting his family. (Image credit: IDF's X)

US President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to relocate over 2 million Palestinians from Gaza has further complicated the ceasefire’s future. Despite this, Hamas announced on Thursday that it would proceed with the release of more hostages following discussions with Egyptian and Qatari officials. The group said that mediators had pledged to “remove all hurdles” to ensure Israel permits more tents, medical supplies, and other essential aid into Gaza. (Image credit: AP)

The ceasefire, which began on January 19, has so far led to the release of 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners during its first phase. However, with this phase set to conclude in early March, the truce faces a significant challenge. No substantial negotiations have taken place regarding the second phase, which would involve Hamas releasing all remaining hostages in exchange for ending the war. (Image credit: AP)