A total of 200 Palestinian prisoners have been released to jubilant scenes in the West Bank after Israel freed them in exchange for four female hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
More than half of the 200 released had been serving life sentences in Israeli jails – some were convicted of multiple murders, including the killing of Israeli civilians.
Around 70 of the most serious offenders are being deported via Egypt to neighbouring countries, including Qatar and Turkey.
A smaller number will be sent to Gaza and the rest will be allowed to return to their homes in the West Bank.
“After the conclusion of the necessary activities in the prisons and the approval of political authorities, all the terrorists were released from the Ofer and Ktziot prisons,” the Israel Prison Service said in a statement.
Some of the released prisoners were hoisted aloft by crowds to loud cheers and fireworks after they stepped off buses.
There was then a scramble as they tried to find their loved ones and family members, before being carried into a sports complex where the celebrations continued.
The youngest Palestinian prisoner released on Saturday was 16 years old, while the oldest was 69. One prisoner has spent 39 years in an Israeli jail, having first been arrested in 1986.
A total of 121 of the prisoners released had been serving a life sentence.
Some of the prisoners had been held for short periods of time, and some were never charged with a crime but were held under something called administrative detention.
The swap on Saturday was the second exchange since a ceasefire came into effect on 19 January. Three hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners were released in the first swap.
During last week’s prisoner release, there was a noticeable show of support for Hamas, but on Saturday, Fatah, the West Bank’s ruling party, which dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA), turned out in force to display their backing for the prisoners.
Prisoners were held aloft by the crowd to load cheers and fireworks after they stepped off buses [Reuters]
Earlier on Saturday, four female Israeli soldiers taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October 2023 were released from Gaza.
Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag, all aged between 19 and 20, were released to the Red Cross in Gaza City during a heavily choreographed handover involving dozens of Hamas gunmen.
However, Israel accused Hamas of breaching the terms of the ceasefire because female civilian hostage Arbel Yehud was not included in Saturday’s release.
Israel said it would delay the planned return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza, while Hamas insisted the hostage would be released next weekend.
The January ceasefire deal halted the war which began when Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken back to Gaza as hostages.
More than 47,200 Palestinians, the majority civilians, have been killed in Israel’s offensive, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says.
