Tehran, IRNA - The Israeli regime has released a total of 200 Palestinian prisoners, including senior members of Hamas, as part of a ceasefire deal with the Palestinian resistance movement in Gaza.
The release on Saturday came hours after Hamas released four female Israeli soldiers held in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
As the bus convoys carrying the released prisoners arrived in Ramallah, jubilant crowds gathered to greet them and celebrate their freedom. Footage circulating on social media showed many waving Palestinian flags and making victory signs as bystanders captured the moment on their cell phones.
Sixteen of the freed Palestinians made their way into the Gaza Strip through the Karem Abu Salem crossing. Seventy prisoners arrived aboard buses in Egypt, Egyptian media reported.
Among those released is Mohammed al-Tous, 69, recognized by the Palestinian Prisoners Club advocacy group as having spent the longest continuous period in Israeli detention. He is one of the 23 remaining Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel since before the Oslo Accord of 1993.
Earlier, Hamas released a statement, saying the Israeli regime was forced to “open the doors of its cells” to dozens of Palestinian prisoners.
“Today, we force the criminal occupier to open the doors of its cells to our heroic prisoners, and this is our pledge to them for freedom, as well as to our people to continue walking together on the path of independence and self-determination,” it said.
Among those released today are senior members of the Palestinian resistance who have spent years behind bars, including 81 from Hamas serving life sentences and 23 from Islamic Jihad.
4353
Your Comment