Gaza: Completion of the first phase of prisoner exchange and Hamas heralds a new chapter

The prisoner exchange operations in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza were completed after the Israeli occupation released, today, Thursday, the last batch of 642 Palestinian prisoners.

Al Jazeera's correspondent reported this evening that 46 of the released child and female prisoners as part of this batch arrived in the Gaza Strip, after the occupation had delayed their release under the pretext of completing verification procedures for the bodies of 4 Israeli prisoners handed over by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

The Hamas Office of Martyrs, Wounded and Prisoners said in a statement, "On this blessed day, and with the completion of the first phase of the Flood of the Free deal with the release of the seventh batch of our heroic prisoners, we affirm that this deal represents a qualitative achievement for our valiant resistance."

The statement added that the resistance "was able, thanks to God and the steadfastness of our people, to impose its will and wrest freedom for the heroes of life sentences from the clutches of the brutal occupation."

The Office of Martyrs, Wounded and Prisoners indicated that the last batch included 41 prisoners released in the “Wafa al-Ahra” deal (the Gilad Shalit deal) who were re-arrested by the occupation, “in a new confirmation that the resistance does not leave its prisoners behind, and will remain faithful to its promise until the shackles are broken on all prisoners.”

New Gateway

The office stressed that "the second phase of the deal will be a new gateway towards the release of the rest of our prisoners from prisons," and that the resistance "will spare no effort in liberating all prisoners, no matter the cost."

The last batch included 642 prisoners, including: 151 prisoners with life sentences and long sentences (43 prisoners were released to the West Bank and Jerusalem, 97 deported prisoners were released to Egypt, 11 prisoners from Gaza who were arrested before October 7, 2023), in addition to 445 prisoners from Gaza who were arrested after October 7, and 46 women and children.

A grand public reception was held for the released prisoners in the Gaza Strip and in Ramallah in the West Bank at dawn on Thursday. Some of the prisoners appeared exhausted and were transferred to hospitals due to the deterioration of their health.

The Palestinian prisoners arrived from the Gaza Strip to Khan Yunis in a difficult condition. Some of them were unable to walk, as a result of severe and harsh torture.

Our resistance treated their prisoners ethically, in return, they brutally tortured our prisoners. pic.twitter.com/l6v0dmrnTP

— Tamer | Tamer (@tamerqdh) February 27, 2025

The freed Jerusalemite prisoners arrived at their homes under strict security conditions imposed on them by the occupation forces, who had previously raided their families’ homes and prevented them from holding any celebratory events, and sent them threatening messages not to make any statements to the media.

Receiving deportees in Cairo

The deported prisoners were received in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, by the head of the Hamas movement in the West Bank and the head of the Office of Martyrs, Prisoners and Wounded, Zaher Jabarin, who said, “The resistance’s liberation of a new group of our people from the occupation’s prisons within the Free Flood deal created a new day of glory in the history of our people, whose title is unity and freedom.”

Jabareen stressed that Hamas "insisted that today's Palestinian wedding be a national wedding par excellence, for here are the sons of Al-Qassam, the sons of Abu Ali Mustafa, the martyrs of Al-Aqsa, the Al-Quds Brigades, and all the sons of our people today, free."

He said, "Our prisoners are free today, despite the nose of (Itamar) Ben Gvir, who was working day and night to execute them. Today, they are in the arms of their people, thanks to the resistance and its steadfastness, and the steadfastness of Gaza and our struggling people."

Earlier, Hamas said that the occupation's attempts to obstruct the release of Palestinian prisoners had failed in the face of the movement's insistence on the occupation implementing its obligations.

She added in a statement that she imposed "the synchronization of the process of handing over the bodies of the enemy's prisoners with the release of the Palestinian prisoners, to prevent the occupation from continuing to evade the requirements of the agreement."

Israel has delayed the release of about 600 prisoners scheduled for Saturday, claiming that Hamas is organising a "humiliating" ceremony to release Israeli prisoners.

The first phase of the agreement expires on Saturday, but Israel is seeking to extend it to recover more than 60 prisoners still in the Gaza Strip. In return, Hamas stresses that the continuation of the agreement is contingent on ending the aggression on the Strip and the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces, including from the Philadelphi Corridor (Salah al-Din Corridor) in the southern Gaza Strip.

Source: Al Jazeera