Dozens of released Palestinian prisoners arrived in the West Bank town of Beitunia on Wednesday night and were greeted by a crowd of friends and family members.

The Israeli military launched a wide-scale operation last month against militants in several cities in the West Bank. Now, roughly 40,000 Palestinians have fled their homes — the highest since Israel occupied the territory nearly six decades ago,

Scene from the West Bank as Israel releases prisoners Live from the West Bank as Hamas is expected to release the bodies of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel.

Israeli tanks moved into the occupied West Bank on Sunday for the first time in decades in what Palestinian authorities called a “dangerous escalation,” after the defense minister said troops will remain in parts of the territory for a year and tens of thousands of Palestinians who have fled cannot return.