BEITUNIA, West Bank—After more than a year of detention, Azhar Assaf has finally returned to her home in the occupied West Bank.
Although she doesn’t consider herself to be political, she says she owes her freedom to Hamas.
Assaf and other freed prisoners, many of whom have been held without trial, are attributing their release to Hamas, with some openly praising the group.
That is helping to boost Hamas’s public image among Palestinians amid a war with Israel that has left more than 15,000 dead in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to authorities in the enclave.
The numbers don’t distinguish between militants and civilians.
Persons:
Azhar Assaf, doesn’t, Assaf
Organizations:
West Bank —, West Bank
Locations:
Israel, Gaza