Gaza: Israel Released 90 Palestinian Prisoners After Three Israelis Return · Global Voices

After the release of the 3 Israeli women held hostage in , he released it in turn of 90 prisoners Palestinians. At dawn of the first day (20.01.2025) of the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, 2 buses with tinted windows departed Israel’s Offer Prison for the occupied West Bank. CORVERSE The 90 Palestinian hostages safely returned home, which Israel’s prison service confirmed. CORVERSE Most of the Palestinian prisoners were women while at the time of the arrest, only one prisoner was under the age of 18. Plans released on social media show Palestinians welcoming their compatriots, waving flags of Hamas and Hezbollah, according to Jerusalem Post. Hundreds of people hailed the buses, as they passed by a road to Beitunia leading to Ramala, the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, waving the Palestinian flags and banners while others fired fireworks. Young people chanted slogans in favor of the al Kasham Brigades, Hamas’ military arm. On the buses, members of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent (DES) had climbed back to the greetings of the crowd smiling. The first group of Palestinians released, including Halida Jarar, a form of the People’s Front for Palestine Liberation (FPLP), a Marxist movement labeled a ‘terrorist organisation’ by Israel, the US and the EU. The list included two sisters of Saleh al Aruri, a Hamas leading executive, who were killed in an Israeli air raid in Beirut in January 2024. At the same time as bus arrival in Baytuna, other prisoners were taken by the Israeli authorities to their homes in Jerusalem. The first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which suspends the war lasting over 15 months, provides for a series of exchanges of prisoners. In total, 33 Israeli hostages from Gaza are expected to be released, against around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention centres. The next exchange is expected to take place on Saturday night. Photos Reuters – Ammar Awad