Tears, hugs greet 90 Palestinian women, children freed from Israeli prisons | News from Gaza
Ninety Palestinians were freed from Israeli prisons and greeted by a large crowd of jubilant relatives, friends and supporters as they returned home to the occupied West Bank in the first prisoner exchange in A truce between Hamas and Israel after release three Israeli prisoners in Gaza.
Around 1 a.m. local time on Monday (23:00 GMT), the Red Cross buses with 90 Palestinian prisoners arrived in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, where they were greeted by thousands of thousands despite warnings from Israeli forces that celebrations would not be allowed.
The freed Palestinians included 69 women and 21 teenagers – some as young as 12 – from the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.
Among them was Khalida Jarrar, 62, a leading member of the left-wing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who was held in solitary confinement for six months under “administrative detention,” which allows Israeli authorities to imprison suspects indefinitely without charge or trial.
In the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, crowds lifted many of the prisoners back onto their shoulders in an emotional show of support, while others shouted and whistled. Some of those present at the rally carried the flags of Fatah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other armed resistance groups.
Seven hours earlier, three female Israeli prisoners in their mid-20s to early 30s were freed in Gaza.
Bushra al-Tawil, a Palestinian journalist jailed in Israel in March 2024, was also among the prisoners freed on Monday.
Tawil said she began her journey at 3am on Sunday (0100 GMT), when she was taken from another Israeli prison before being released. In another prison, she was grouped with other Palestinians awaiting release.
“The wait was extremely difficult. But, thank God, we were sure that we would be released at any moment,” she said.
Tawil said that her father, who is also in Israeli prison, will be released soon.
“I was worried about him. He is still a prisoner, but I just received good news that he will be released as part of this deal,” she added.
Amanda Abu Sharkh, 23, from Ramallah, was among hundreds of people who gathered to greet the freed prisoners.
“We came here to witness it and feel the emotions, just like the families of the prisoners who were released today,” said Abu Sharkh.
“All the prisoners who were released today feel like family. They are part of us, even if they are not related by blood,” she told the AFP news agency.
Muhammad, 20, said he came from Ramallah with his friends as soon as he heard the prisoners would be released.
He himself was recently released from Israel’s Ofer prison and expressed “great joy” at the thought of family reunification.
“I know a lot of people in prison, there are innocent people, children and women,” he said.
The prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel is the first of its kind since November 2023.
The exact number of Palestinians expected to be released as part of the cease-fire deal is still unknown, with estimates ranging from roughly 1,000 to nearly 2,000.
In the first phase of the deal, Hamas is expected to return a total of 33 Israeli prisoners over the next 42 days – with the next release on Saturday.
The second phase of the ceasefire talks is set to begin in two weeks.
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began on October 7, and nearly 90 percent of Gaza’s population has been forcibly displaced by Israeli evacuation orders and attacks.
