200 Palestinian prisoners were released to joyful scenes in the West Bank

“All terrorists were released from Ofer and Ktziot prisons after the completion of the necessary activities in the prisons and the approval of the political authorities,” the Israeli Prison Service said in a statement.

Some of the freed prisoners were hoisted into the air by the crowd to loud cheers and fireworks after getting off the buses.

Later, an argument broke out as they tried to find their loved ones and family members before being taken to the sports complex where the holiday celebrations were going on.

“Thank God! It’s a great feeling, I can’t describe it! I’ve been in prison for six years and two months,” said released prisoner Bakker Kwaawish after getting off one of the buses, dressed in gray prison fatigues.

The youngest Palestinian prisoner released on Saturday was 16 years old. The oldest, Muhammad al-Tus, was 69 years old. He was first arrested in 1985 while fighting with Israeli forces and spent 39 years in prison.

Another prisoner, Mohammed al-Ardah, was part of a high-profile jailbreak in 2021.

A total of 121 of the released prisoners were serving life sentences.

Some of the inmates were held for short periods of time, while others were never charged with a crime but were held in something called administrative detention.

Saturday’s exchange was the second since the ceasefire took effect on January 19. In the first exchange, 3 hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners were released.

There was a visible show of support for Hamas during last week’s prisoner release, but on Saturday Fatah, the ruling party in the West Bank that dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA), came out in force to support the prisoners.