Israel says 90 Palestinian prisoners freed in 1st exchange of Gaza cease-fire deal
Palestinian men waving Hamas flags wait with family members and friends for the release of prisoners held by Israel, in Beitunia, outside the West Bank city of Ramallah, January 19, 2025. (AFP Photo)
Israel announced Monday that 90 Palestinian prisoners freed in first exchange of Gaza cease-fire deal.
Two buses with tinted windows were seen leaving the Israeli Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank early Monday, hours after Hamas released three hostages in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Israel Prison Service said in a statement it had completed the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners.
Israel is expected to release 737 prisoners over the first phase of the Gaza cease-fire deal, in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages.
Following the first day of the Israel-Hamas cease-fire, around 90 Palestinian prisoners were freed as part of the deal.
Hundreds of people gathered at the prison, where Red Cross staff were preparing for the exchange.
The cease-fire agreement took effect at 11:15 a.m. local time (0915 GMT) on Sunday, after being delayed by a few hours due to Israeli accusations that Hamas had delayed the release of a list of captives. The agreement was initially scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. local time.
Meanwhile footage on social media showed crowds cheering, and honking car horns as two buses carrying Palestinian prisoners freed from an Israeli prison arrived in the occupied West Bank town of Beitunia.
Footage also showed members of the crowd climbing atop the lead bus and unfurled a Hamas flag, the journalists reported.
Buses held some of the 90 prisoners released as part of the Gaza cease-fire agreement that began Sunday and saw three Israeli captives freed by Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
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