The Israeli occupation releases the first batch of Palestinian prisoners, most of whom are women

The Israeli occupation released, on Sunday/Monday night, dozens of Palestinian prisoners, including women and children, from Ofer prison west of the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, with international and regional mediation.

Buses bearing the emblem of the International Committee of the Red Cross, accompanied by vehicles belonging to the Committee, were seen leaving the prison carrying Palestinian prisoners to their areas.

At the same time, Israel released a number of Jerusalemite prisoners directly to their homes in the city of Jerusalem, where Palestinian human rights organizations confirmed the publication of the names of 90 prisoners, including 20 children and youth, who were included in the first phase of the agreement.

Scenes from the reception of buses of prisoners, male and female, released as part of the exchange deal in the city of Ramallah pic.twitter.com/fJCAANdp4D

— Palestinian Information Center (@PalinfoAr) January 19, 2025

In the vicinity of the prison, on the Beitunia side (a Palestinian town located between Jerusalem and Ramallah), the Israeli army declared the area near the prison a closed military zone and prevented the gathering of prisoners’ families.

Dozens of relatives of released prisoners gathered near the prison, waiting for their released relatives, and were exposed to tear gas bombs fired by the Israeli army.

Despite Israeli harassment, hundreds of Palestinians celebrated in the center of the town of Beitunia, west of Ramallah, by setting off fireworks in celebration of the release of the prisoners.

Excited crowds greeted the freed prisoners with shouts of joy and singing as two buses passed by, taking them from Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank.

Israel holds more than 10,400 Palestinian prisoners in its prisons, and currently estimates that there are about 96 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, dozens of whom Hamas has announced were killed in random Israeli raids.

The sister of the martyr leader Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri, who was released as part of the exchange deal between the resistance and the occupation pic.twitter.com/kOwnDHTvEB

— Palestinian Information Center (@PalinfoAr) January 20, 2025

A ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel went into effect on Sunday morning, and its first phase will last for 42 days, during which negotiations will take place to begin a second and then a third phase.

In the first stage, Hamas is scheduled to release 33 Israeli prisoners, male and female, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, the number of whom depends on the status of each Israeli prisoner, whether he is a military or “civilian.”

With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 157,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing, amid massive destruction and famine that killed dozens of children and the elderly, in one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.

On November 21, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant, on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza.

(Agencies)