Celebrations as 90 detained Palestinians freed from Israeli prisons

In the first prisoner exchange of the Hamas-Israel ceasefire following the release of three Israeli prisoners in Gaza, nine Palestinians were freed from Israeli prisons and were greeted by sizable crowds of cheery friends, family, and supporters as they made their way back home to the occupied West Bank.

The 90 Palestinian prisoners who were being transported by Red Cross buses to Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, were greeted by thousands of people there on Monday at around 1 a.m. local time (23:00 GMT), despite Israeli forces’ warnings that celebrations would not be permitted.

Among the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem were 69 women and 21 teenage boys who were freed from the country. Some as young as 12 were also present.

Khalida Jarrar, 62, a prominent figure in the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was one of them. She had been in solitary confinement for six months under “administrative detention,” which enables Israeli authorities to imprison suspects for an indefinite period without charge or ruling in court.

Freed Palestinian prisoners inside a Red Cross bus as they arrive in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, on January 20, 2025]Mussa Qawasma/Reuters]

In an emotional show of support for many of the returned prisoners, crowds in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah yelled and whistled as they were lifted up onto their shoulders. The flags of Fatah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other armed resistance organizations were carried by some attendees.

Seven hours earlier, three Israeli women captives in their mid-20s to early 30s were released in Gaza.

Palestinian journalist Bushra al-Tawil, who was imprisoned in Israel in March 2024, was also a part of the releaseees on Monday.

Tawil claimed that she was taken from another Israeli prison before being released at 3am on Sunday morning (01:00 GMT). In the second prison, she was grouped with other Palestinians awaiting release.

“The wait was extremely hard. But thank God, we were certain that at any moment we would be released”, she said.

Tawil said her father, who is also in an Israeli jail, will be released soon, too.

“I was worried about him. He is still a prisoner, but I just received good news that he will be released as part of this deal”, she added.

A freed Palestinian prisoner poses for a photo after being released from an Israeli jail as part of a hostages-prisoners swap and a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Ammar Awad — Palestinian prisoners who have been freed from Israeli custody on January 20, 2025 pose for a photo.

Amanda Abu Sharkh, 23, from Ramallah, was among the crowd of hundreds who gathered to greet the freed prisoners.

According to Abu Sharkh, “We came here to witness it and feel the emotions,” similar to those of the prisoners’ families who are currently being released.

“We feel like family to all the prisoners who are currently being released today. They are part of us, even if they’re not blood relatives”, she told the AFP news agency.

Muhammad, 20, said he had come from Ramallah with his friends as soon as he heard the prisoners would be released.

Recently freed from Israel’s Ofer Prison himself, he expressed “great joy” at the thought of families being reunited.

“I know a lot of people in prison, there are innocent people, children and women”, he said.

The first such prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel since November 2023.

According to reports, there are between 1, 000 and nearly 2, 000 Palestinians who are expected to be released as part of the ceasefire agreement.

In the first two days of the agreement, Hamas is anticipated to release 33 Israeli prisoners, with the next release set for Saturday.

In two weeks, negotiations over a ceasefire are expected to begin.