In Palestinian cities in the occupied West Bank, long the turf of president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah party, the green flag of Islamist rival Hamas is flying ever higher thanks to prisoner-hostage exchanges.
For three nights, Palestinians have celebrated the return of dozens of detainees freed from Israeli jails, in exchange for women and children seized during October 7 attacks by Hamas fighters.
That has seen the popularity of Hamas soar in the West Bank, run by Abbas’s Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA).
Ahmed Abdelaziz, 63, joined the celebrations on Sunday.
