90 Palestinian women and kids released from Israeli jails

WEST BANK (Palestine Foundation Information Center) 90 Palestinian women and children were freed at dawn Monday from Israeli prisons and were greeted by large crowds of jubilant relatives, friends and supporters as they returned home in the occupied West Bank following the release of three Israeli captives in Gaza as part of the ceasefire agreement, which took effect yesterday.

At about 1:00 a.m. local time on Monday, Red Cross buses carrying the 90 Palestinian prisoners arrived in Ramallah in the West Bank, where they were greeted by thousands of citizens despite warnings from the Israeli occupation forces that celebrations would not be allowed.

The freed Palestinians included 69 women and 21 teenage boys – some as young as 12 – from the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.

Among them was Khalida Jarrar, 62, a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who had been held for six months in solitary confinement under “administrative detention,” with no indictment.

In Ramallah City, a crowd of people lifted many of the freed prisoners up on their shoulders in an emotional show of support, while others carried the flags of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other resistance groups, amid chanting and cheering.

Earlier on Sunday night, Israeli forces attacked hundreds of Palestinian citizens as they gathered near the Ofer checkpoint and jail in the southwest of Ramallah City, awaiting the Israeli release of the first group of prisoners.

A reporter for the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) said that Israeli soldiers fired volleys of tear gas canisters and rubber bullets at a crowd of Palestinians rallying near Ofer jail, pointing out that a number of people were injured.

The Red Crescent said that its ambulance crews provided medical assistance for seven wounded citizens during the events in the vicinity of Ofer jail, adding that two of them were evacuated to hospitals.

The exact number of Palestinian prisoners due to be released as part of the ceasefire deal is still unknown, with reported estimates ranging from 1,000 to about 2,000.

In the first phase of the deal, Hamas is expected to release a total of 33 Israeli captives over the next 42 days – with the next release due on Saturday. The second phase of the ceasefire talks is due to begin in two weeks.

More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli genocidal war started on October 7, 2023, and over 90 percent of Gaza’s population has been forcibly displaced by Israeli evacuation orders and attacks.