Israel releases 200 Palestinian inmates
Date
1/26/2025 4:55:46 AM
(MENAFN) As part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Israel has released 200 Palestinian prisoners from its jails. The release was part of a swap deal in which Hamas freed four female Israeli soldiers. Israel's prison service confirmed that the 200 prisoners included 121 individuals serving life sentences for killing Israelis, with the rest held without charges.
The prisoners were transferred from Israel’s Ofer and Ktziot prisons and examined by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) before 128 were sent back to Gaza and the West Bank. The remaining prisoners were deported, with 70 being taken to Egypt, according to reports from Cairo.
Video footage showed jubilant crowds in Ramallah celebrating the arrival of the prisoners, with militant flags being raised and the prisoners carried through the crowd. Meanwhile, the four female Israeli soldiers were handed over in Gaza City, where ICRC officials facilitated the exchange before taking the women to medical facilities for check-ups and reunions with their families.
This release follows an agreement made earlier in the month to bring an end to the 15-month conflict between Israel and Hamas. The ceasefire deal, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US, is divided into three stages. The first phase saw the release of the four soldiers in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners, with future phases set to free additional hostages.
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