Israel freed almost 2,000 Palestinians from its jails on Monday as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal, prompting emotional scenes of families reunited with loved ones, some of whom had spent decades behind bars.

Israel says it expects all of the 20 living hostages held in the Gaza Strip to be released Monday in its breakthrough ceasefire deal with Hamas.

Israeli forces have completed a pullback of troops from Gaza on Friday after Israel's Cabinet approved a plan for a ceasefire aimed at ending the devastating two-year war.