An Agence France-Presse correspondent saw the arrival of 28 detainees to the occupied West Bank after their release, while 11 others were on their way to occupied East Jerusalem.
Two white buses transporting male prisoners and another for women and girls, accompanied by cars belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross, were seen leaving the Ofer Camp prison, before stopping in front of the Beitunia municipality near the city of Ramallah, where hundreds of Palestinians gathered to celebrate the release of detainees in the evening.
Large crowds received the Palestinian prisoners upon their landing in Beitunia, and many of them chanted, “God is great.” Firecrackers were set off that lit up the sky there.
The participants lifted a number of the released detainees on their shoulders, and waved Palestinian flags and the flags of the Hamas and Fatah movements, according to video footage from Agence France-Presse.
The 39 prisoners were released under a four-day truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, which released 13 women and children hostage it had held on October 7.
Israeli prison authorities confirmed the release of 39 prisoners, describing them as “the first group of detainees to be released under the plan to return the hostages to their homes.”
The Department of Prisoners’ Affairs in the Palestinian Authority issued a list of the names of 24 women and 15 minors who were released.
Among them is Malak Salman (23 years old), from Beit Safafa in occupied East Jerusalem, who was arrested eight years ago on her way to school on the grounds of her attempt to stab a policeman in Bab al-Amud.
A police car took her to her home in Beit Safafa. Her mother, Fatina, told AFP, “The police are in our house and preventing people from greeting her.”
She added, “My daughter is tired and hungry. She has not eaten since yesterday.”
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that it transported four people wounded by Israeli army bullets in front of Ofer Camp, including a 12-year-old child.
The Red Crescent confirmed that its crews in Beitunia transferred “one of the liberated prisoners to Ramallah Hospital for a broken hand after the occupation forces assaulted him before his release,” noting that he is 17 years old.
She added on Friday, “Our crews transferred the freed prisoner, Fatima Shaheen, to the Palestine Medical Complex to conduct some tests.”
Prior to the release of the Palestinian detainees, Israel received 13 Israeli hostages who were released by Hamas in the Gaza Strip on the first day of the truce.
Qatar, the main mediator, along with Egypt and the United States, reached an extendable truce agreement, which stipulates the exchange of 50 hostages held in Gaza for 150 Palestinian detainees in Israel.
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