Israel began releasing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners on Monday as part of the hostage exchange deal with Hamas — including some convicted for murder and terrorism.
The first wave of prisoners arrived in the West Bank and Gaza soon after Hamas released the final 20 living hostages it had kept in brutal conditions for more than two years since Oct. 7, 2023.
The Jewish state is set to free some 1,700 Palestinians who were arrested during the two-year war, as well as 250 other Palestinians serving prison time — including some convicted for murder and terrorism in deadly attacks dating back decades, a blow to the families of the victims.
Dozens of freed Palestinian prisoners have begun arriving in the West Bank as part of the hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas. AFP via Getty Images
The bulk of the prisoners were arrested during the two-year war and were being held without charge. REUTERSThe prisoners received a sick hero’s welcome at Gaza’s Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, where huge crowds gathered to cheer them.
There were similar celebrations in the West Bank’s Beitunia neighborhood as the freed prisoners exited their vans and flashed V-for-victory signs at the cheering crowds.
The Israeli military allegedly sent out warnings to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to not celebrate or support “terrorist organizations” at the risk of arrest, according to flyers obtained by the Associated Press.
Along with those released in the Palestinian territories, at least 154 prisoners who had been serving long sentences have been deported to Egypt, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Society.
A man hoists a former prisoner on his shoulders as crowds cheer in the West Bank’s Ramallah Cultural Center. AFP via Getty Images
Nearly 2,000 prisoners are set to be released as part of the deal, with 154 of those with violent convictions already exiled to Egypt. APStay up to date on the Israel-Hamas cease-fire exchange
- Emotions run high as freed Gaza hostages reunite with their families after two long years
- Israel starts releasing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners — including murderers and terrorists
- NY pols celebrate Israeli hostages’ return: ‘A new chapter of lasting peace’
- President Trump declares an ‘end of an age of terror and death’ to raucous applause in Israel’s parliament
Among those violent prisoners slated to be released are Raed Sheikh, 51, a former Palestinian police officer and Fatah member who was sentenced to multiple life terms in 2000 for his role in killing two Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.
Another notorious prisoner set to be freed is Mahmoud Issa, 57, a former Hamas commander imprisoned for life in 1993 for the kidnapping and killing of a 29-year-old Israeli border police officer.
With Post wires
