FREEDOM...AT LAST

ISRAELI or Palestinian, the joy on the faces of these men is exactly the same as they taste freedom after years in captivity.

- BY CHRIS HUGHES

Palestinian prisoners freed from Ofer military jail in Israel as part of the peace deal gave victory signs as they headed to Ramallah on the West Bank in a fleet of Red Cross buses.

They had been released in exchange for 20 hostages held by Hamas since the October 7 attacks in 2023.

Among the freed Israeli hostages was Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24, who waved to well-wishers as he arrived at Beilinson Hospital in the Rabin Medical Centre in Petah Tikva in central Israel.

During his captivity, he was subjected to psychological torture by Hamas, who filmed him being forced to watch other hostages being freed.

Avinatan Or, 32, was taken to the same hospital, where he was reunited with his girlfriend Noa Argamani.

They had been taken together by Hamas at the Nova music festival.

Noa was released after 245 days.

Twins Ziv and Gali Berman, 28, who were taken hostage at Kfar Aza kibbutz, waved as they arrived at Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer in Ramat Gan, Israel.

In Hostage Square in Tel Aviv Israelis celebrated, bursting into song as the names of the freed rang out over public address systems and live footage of hostages being handed over was shown on the big screen.

Tal, a young Israeli woman, beamed as she declared: "This is the most wonderful day.

"We feared we may never see this day happen, our brothers and sisters being released after so long and so much suffering. What they have been through is unimaginable.