Palestinians released from Israel's Ofer Prison arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah early Thursday.
An Anadolu correspondent said a bus carrying dozens of released Palestinian prisoners accompanied by teams from the International Red Cross arrived at the Cultural Palace, where their families were waiting.
The correspondent added that the arrival of the bus was met with loud cheers and chants of joy from the gathered crowd.
As the prisoners began exiting the bus, their families greeted them with emotional embraces in a scene where tears mixed with feelings of happiness.
The Palestinian group Hamas' Prisoners Information Office said that 43 of the prisoners are expected to be released to the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, out of a total of 620 set to be released.
The release is part of the delayed seventh batch of the prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel.
Some of the released prisoners showed signs of exhaustion and were transferred to the hospital for medical care.
Laila Ghannam, the governor of Ramallah and Al-Bireh, said during the reception of the prisoners that the Israeli army had released them wearing clothing with racist and inciting slogans, but they were provided with alternative clothes.
She added that the prisoners reported suffering from skin diseases, and some requested medical examinations.
Freed prisoner Saeed Diab, from the city of Qalqilya, said in a televised interview that he was sentenced to 27 years in prison, of which he served 18 years.
Describing his emotions, Diab said he felt "as if I had returned from death to life once again."
Hamas' Prisoners Information Office had previously reported that 43 prisoners were expected to be released to the West Bank, including Jerusalem, as part of the delayed seventh batch of the exchange deal.
In this regard, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that the bus arriving at the Ramallah Cultural Palace carried 37 prisoners.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian prisoner from Bethlehem was transferred by a Palestine Red Crescent ambulance to a hospital in the West Bank after being handed over from Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, where he had been in a coma.
Additionally, five released prisoners arrived in occupied Jerusalem.
Among them, Ahed Natsha arrived home in handcuffs, according to Hamas' Prisoners Information Office.
The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which began on Jan. 19, consists of three phases, each lasting 42 days, with negotiations required before moving to the next phase.
This phase included the release of 33 Israeli hostages, both living and deceased. Palestinian factions have fulfilled this commitment by releasing 25 living prisoners and eight bodies across eight batches.
The final batch, delivered on Wednesday night/Thursday, consisted of the bodies of four Israeli prisoners.
In return, Israel has released 1,135 Palestinian detainees over the first six prisoner exchange batches, including dozens serving life sentences.
However, the total number of Palestinian prisoners expected to be released tonight remains unclear.
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.