Israel releases 200 Palestinian prisoners in second ceasefire exchange

Israel released 200 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday four soldiers Held hostage by Hamas. Dozens of prisoners were serving life sentences in Israeli prisons for attacks against Israelis.

Prisoners were released from a facility near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah and another near Beersheba in southern Israel, the Israeli Prison Service said in a statement.

Israelis see them as terrorists, while many Palestinians say they have legitimately resisted Israeli rule or are victims of decades of Israeli occupation.

Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in a Ramallah town hall, hailing their prisoners home, pushing to catch their loved ones, exiting Red Cross buses transporting them.

Some of the prisoners, apparently dressed in gray by the Israeli prison authorities, were carried on the shoulders of the cheering crowd.

“We are leaving our prison, but the price for our freedom is high,” he said. “I think about the families of the prisoners we lost over the last year.”

On Sunday, Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners, mostly women and minors, with three women on bail. This time, Israeli authorities are freeing many people convicted of more serious crimes, including the killing of Israeli civilians in armed attacks.

According to the Israeli government, Mr Arda – a Palestinian Islamic Jihad activist – was sentenced to life in prison for committing a crime and planting an explosive device, among other offences. He was one of six prisoners who briefly escaped from an Israeli prison in 2021, before being captured by Israelis and Palestinians.

More than 1,500 Palestinians detained by Israel will be released under the first phase of a ceasefire and hostage-release deal. Hamas promised to release 33 hostages; According to Israeli authorities, 97 people were in Gaza when the agreement came into effect last Sunday.

Of the Palestinian prisoners released on Saturday, 120 were serving life sentences for participating in attacks against Israelis, according to a list provided by the Hamas-affiliated Prisoners’ Office. According to the terms of the agreement, around 70 will be expelled from the territory of Israel to the Gaza Strip or abroad to countries such as Egypt.

Those released on Saturday included Mohammed Odeh, Wael Qassim and Wissam Abbasi, who were arrested in 2002 for one count of deadly bombings targeting Israelis in crowded civilian areas. All three were sentenced to life in prison for their involvement in the attacks.

Nine people, including five Americans, died in one of the group’s most indiscriminate attacks, which took place at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

All three would be exiled abroad and would never be allowed to return to their homes in Jerusalem under the terms of the Treaty.