Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinians, stranded in Egypt since the beginning of the war, return to Gaza through the Rafah crossing as a four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war takes effect, with hostages set to be released in exchange for prisoners in the first major reprieve in seven weeks of fighting that have claimed thousands of lives. After Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and seizing about 240 hostages, Israel vowed to “crush” Hamas and unleashed a withering military campaign that Gaza’s Hamas government says has killed nearly 15,000 people in the coastal territory.
