Israel Releases 183 Palestinian Prisoners In Latest Swap With Hamas

(MENAFN- IANS) Gaza, Feb 1 (IANS) Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday in the fourth prisoner-for-hostage swap under the ongoing truce deal with Hamas, according to Palestinian sources.

Abdullah Zaghari, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, told Xinhua news agency that Israeli authorities handed the released prisoners over to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Of the freed prisoners, 150 were from the Gaza Strip, 32 from the West Bank, and the remaining one, who holds Egyptian citizenship, will be returned to Egypt.

Prisoners from the West bank were released from Ofer Prison near Ramallah, while prisoners from Gaza, released from Ketziot Prison in southern Israel, would be transported to southern Gaza through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing, Zaghari added.

Local witnesses reported that buses carrying Palestinians released by Israel have arrived in southern Gaza's Khan Younis.

The Palestinian Liberation Organisation's commission for prisoners' affairs said in a press statement that among the 183 released on Saturday, seven prisoners will be deported, without specifying which countries will receive them.

The release of Palestinian prisoners follows Hamas' release of three Israeli hostages earlier in the day, marking the fourth such exchange during the first phase of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. The deal was enforced on January 19 and its first phase will last for six weeks.

54-year-old Israeli-French citizen Ofer Calderon, 35-year-old Israeli civilian Yardan Bibas and 65-year-old Israeli-American hostage Keith Siegel were freed by Hamas on Saturday after 484 days in captivity.

Following their release, all three hostages were taken to the IDF's Reim base near the Gaza border, where they reunited with their families before being flown to hospitals in central Israel for further medical assessments. Emotional videos of these reunions were shared by the IDF.

The latest releases follow the return of three other hostages -- Agam Berger, Arbel Yehud, and Gadi Moses -- on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed them home and credited Israel's military efforts and firm stance in negotiations for their safe return.

"This release was achieved, first of all, thanks to our heroic soldiers, and it was also achieved thanks to the steadfast and determined stand that we took during the negotiations," Netanyahu stated.

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