RAMALLAH, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday in the fifth prisoner-for-hostage swap under the ongoing ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
Abdullah al-Zaghari, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, said the released prisoners, transported by buses of the International Committee of the Red Cross, had arrived in Ramallah. TV footage showed the released Palestinians being greeted by a large crowd at a square in the city.
Of the freed prisoners, 42 were from the West Bank, three from Jerusalem, and 27 from the Gaza Strip, all serving life sentences or lengthy terms. Additionally, 111 prisoners were arrested in the Gaza Strip after Hamas' surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs said in a press statement.
Seven of the freed prisoners would be deported outside the Palestinian territories, according to the statement.
Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses said that Israeli vehicles stormed Beitunia, a Palestinian city west of Ramallah, immediately after the bus carrying Palestinian prisoners left Ofer Prison, to prevent any celebratory demonstrations by their families.
Israeli forces also raided the homes of some prisoners in the West Bank and warned their families against organizing celebrations to mark their release, according to the sources.
Earlier on Saturday, Hamas released three Israeli hostages it had been holding in the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the Israeli hostages had crossed the border into Israel.
This release marks the fifth hostage-prisoner swap under the first phase of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, brokered by Egypt and Qatar with support from the United States.
According to a report by the Times of Israel last month, Israel demanded that Palestinians convicted of the most serious crimes not be released to the Gaza Strip or the West Bank. ■
