There was jubilation in the West Bank after Israel released 200 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for four hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
More than half of the 200 released were serving life sentences in Israeli prisons, and some were convicted of multiple murders, including those of Israeli civilians. Others were never charged with a crime.
About 70 of the worst criminals were deported via Egypt to neighboring countries, including Qatar and Türkiye.
A small number of personnel will be sent to Gaza. The remaining more than 120 people will be allowed to return to their homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
“All terrorists were released from Ofer and Kziot prisons after completing the necessary activities in the prisons and with the approval of the political authorities,” the Israel Prison Service said in a statement.
Some of the released prisoners stepped off the bus and were held aloft by the crowd amid loud cheers and fireworks.
Celebrations continued as they tried to find loved ones and family before being taken into a sports venue.
“Thank God! This feeling is amazing, I can’t describe this feeling! I have been in prison for six years and two months,” said Bakker, a released prisoner wearing a gray prison uniform. Kwaawish) said after getting off a bus.
The youngest Palestinian prisoner released on Saturday was 16 years old. The eldest among them is Mohammed al-Tous, 69 years old. He was first arrested in 1985 while fighting Israeli forces and has spent 39 years in prison.
Another prisoner, Mohammad al-Ardah, was involved in a high-profile prison break in 2021.
A total of 121 released prisoners are serving life sentences.
Some prisoners were held for short periods of time, and some were never charged with a crime but were held in administrative detention.
Saturday’s exchange was the second since the ceasefire came into effect on January 19. In the first exchange, three hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners were released.
There was a clear show of support for Hamas during last week’s prisoner releases, but on Saturday Fatah, the West Bank’s ruling party that dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA), turned out to show support for the prisoners.
early Saturday, On October 7, 2023, four female Israeli soldiers held hostage by Hamas were released from Gaza.
Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag, all aged 19 to 20 Years old, he was released to the Gaza City Red Cross in an orchestrated transfer of dozens of Hamas gunmen.
However, Israel accuses Hamas of violating the terms of the ceasefire by not including female civilian hostage Abel Yehud in Saturday’s release.
Israel said it would delay plans to return displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza, while Hamas insisted the hostages would be released by the end of next week.
January’s ceasefire ended the war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Some 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken back to Gaza as hostages.
The Hamas health ministry in Gaza said more than 47,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, had been killed in the Israeli offensive.
