Israel has released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners after three Israeli hostages returned from captivity in the Gaza Strip earlier on Saturday, Palestinian officials have said.
Four buses carrying prisoners freed in exchange for the three men under a current ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian extremist group Hamas have arrived in the Gaza Strip, they said.
It comes after another minibus transporting eight inmates back to the West Bank had reportedly reached Ramallah, where they were greeted by overjoyed relatives, as seen on footage of their arrival.
A total of 369 Palestinians were set to be released on Saturday, including 333 inmates arrested in the Gaza Strip following the October 7 attacks on Israel, as well as 36 detainees from the West Bank and East Jerusalem sentenced to life imprisonment.
Due to the severity of their offences, some of them have been barred from returning home and will be brought abroad instead, according to the agreement.
A freed Palestinian prisoner is greeted upon his arrival in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after being released from an Israeli prison in the latest hostages-prisoners exchange between Israel and Hamas. Ayman Nobani/dpa
A freed Palestinian prisoner is greeted upon his arrival in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after being released from an Israeli prison in the latest hostages-prisoners exchange between Israel and Hamas. Ayman Nobani/dpa
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