Israeli occupation authorities began releasing Palestinian detainees yesterday night as part of a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, reported Wafa news agency. The initial group included 69 women and 21 children, with 76 detainees from the occupied West Bank and 14 from Jerusalem. Families and supporters gathered near the notorious Ofer Prison, in the north of the occupied West Bank, to greet the released prisoners.
However, Israeli occupation forces declared the area a closed military zone and used rubber-coated bullets to disperse the crowd, injuring three people. In Jerusalem, Israeli occupation forces raided the homes of detainees who were scheduled for release, warning families against holding celebrations or public gatherings to welcome their loved ones.
The New Arab report said, after a long wait at the point closest to Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah, families of released Palestinian prisoners related to the first batch of the ceasefire deal welcomed back their loved ones.
The exchange occurred once Hamas handed over three Israeli female captives Sunday morning under the ceasefire deal, and in turn, Israel released about 90 Palestinians, including 21 children and 69 women, most of whom were held without charge.
The second batch is expected to occur next Saturday, with Hamas releasing four Israeli female soldiers and Israel will release 200 Palestinian prisoners who were sentenced to life.
Although it was agreed that Israel would immediately release the female prisoners and children on Sunday evening, it used examination and inspection procedures as an excuse to delay their release until the evening.
The ceasefire agreement took effect at 11:15am local time yesterday after a few hours’ delay. It was originally scheduled to start at 8:30am local time.
Since 7 October 2023, Israeli forces have arrested over 25,000 Palestinians, including around 14,300 from the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, as well as others from Gaza.
In the same period, 56 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli prisons, including 35 from Gaza, with authorities refusing to release their bodies.
Nearly 47,000 people have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 110,700 others injured in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since 7 October 2023, according to local health authorities.
