About 90 Palestinian prisoners have been released in exchange for three Israeli hostages handed over by Hamas to Israel, as part of the ceasefire deal aimed at ending 15 months of war.
The prisoners, most of whom were freed from Ofer prison in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, were welcomed by thousands of people celebrating, waving the flags of Palestine and Hamas.
Mothers, fathers, siblings and friends had waited for hours in the cold until the early hours of Monday to embrace their loved ones as part of the agreement.
“It’s hard to describe the emotion we’re feeling at this moment,” said Osama Shadeh, who was waiting to be reunited with his daughter Aseel, 17.
“My daughter was arrested on 7 November 2024 when she was protesting against the killing of Palestinian children in Gaza. She was waving a Palestinian flag. Israeli soldiers shot her in the foot and handcuffed her. They accused her of trying to stab the soldiers. The fact that she is being released now means that Israel knew that my daughter had done nothing wrong. Yet they kept a minor in jail for over a year.”
Nawaf Jarabaa, 63, was waiting for his daughter Shatha, 24, who he said was arrested over a social media post where she criticised the “brutality” of Israel’s campaign in Gaza. His anticipation was tempered by the fact that two other children were not included in the deal.
“I’m happy, but not too happy,” he said. “My daughter was arrested simply for expressing her ideas … The thing that bothers me the most is that people think that the Israelis have only behaved this way towards us since 7 October, but the truth is that it has always been like this.’’
Khawlaha Mahfouz, 53, whose daughter Ayat, 33, from Hebron, was arrested in June 2024 for an attempted stabbing attack also expressed mixed feelings. “I’m happy, [but] at the same time, my heart is sad and I don’t feel ready to celebrate with all that is happening in Gaza.”
In Al Fawakeh square in Ramallah, hundreds of people chanted: “The people want the Al-Qassam Brigades,” referring to Hamas’ armed wing in Gaza. In the Palestinian Territories, the release of prisoners and the ceasefire was perceived as a victory for Hamas over Israel.
But in East Jerusalem, the homes of at least four prisoners in East Jerusalem were reportedly raided by Israeli security forces who seized flags and symbols associated with Palestine with soldiers explicitly warning relatives against speaking to the media.
The Israel Prison Service said on Friday that it would take measures to prevent any “public displays of joy” by families of Palestinian prisoners released in the deal.
Under the first phase of the deal reached between Israel and Hamas, which is to last 42 days, the militant group has agreed to release 33 hostages including children, women (including female soldiers) and men aged over 50, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
In the second phase of the ceasefire deal, the remaining living hostages are due to be sent back and a corresponding ratio of Palestinian prisoners will be freed, and Israel will completely withdraw from the territory. The specifics are subject to further negotiations, which are due to start 16 days into the first phase.
The third phase will address the exchange of bodies of deceased hostages and Hamas members, and a reconstruction plan for Gaza will be launched. Arrangements for future governance of the strip remain hazy.
About 100 of the Palestinian prisoners slated for release are serving life sentences for violent attacks on Israelis; others were jailed for lesser offences, including social media posts, or held in administrative detention, which allows for the pre-emptive arrest of individuals based on undisclosed evidence.
According to a copy of the agreement seen by the Guardian, nine ill and wounded Israelis will be released in exchange for 110 Palestinians serving life sentences in Israeli jails.
About 180 prisoners will reportedly be deported to Turkey, Qatar and Algeria.
Men aged over 50 on the list of 33 hostages will be released in return for prisoners serving life sentences at a ratio of 1:3, and 1:27 for other sentences.
According to figures published by the Israeli NGO HaMoked, as of January 2025 there were 10,221 Palestinians in Israeli prisons. About 3,376 of them are held under administrative detention, while 1,886 are classified as “unlawful combatants”, which also allows detention without charge or trial. The Israel Defense Forces and Israeli government say the measures comply with international law.
Palestinians have long alleged that imprisonment is a key element of Israel’s 57-year-old occupation: various estimates suggest that up to 40% of Palestinian men have been arrested at least once in their lives.
