Freed Palestinian prisoner Rami Barbakh (C), who was held by Israel for 20 years, is hugged by his mother upon his release, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 31. Israel set free 26 Palestinian prisoners, one of whom is Barbakh, on Tuesday as part of US-brokered peace efforts, after pledging to press ahead with plans to build more homes in Jewish settlements. Barbakh was convicted of killing an Israeli in 1994. Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa